


hidden blood

by fxdetoblxck



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Asgard, Asgard (Marvel), Avengers Tower, F/M, Flirting, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Marvel - Freeform, Protective Loki (Marvel), Rough Sex, Sex, Teasing, Thor: The Dark World
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2020-09-06 02:09:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20283652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fxdetoblxck/pseuds/fxdetoblxck
Summary: loki, sentenced to earth by his mother for his crimes against midgard to make reparations and required to train with the avengers. sofia varland, receptionist (and everything else) for s.h.i.e.l.d. the two work alongside each other but inevitably clash. will sofia be able to get through to the god of mischief? but more importantly, will she even want to?[this is set in a time after the avengers (2012) up until age of ultron (2015). some plot points from other mcu films are referenced; however, it very loosely follows canon. also, time is condensed].





	1. pushback

“No fucking way.”

The blonde turned, not surprised by his friend’s response. What he was surprised by, however, was his boss’s silence. 

Tony Stark seemed surprised too, as he turned to the man. 

“You have nothing to say about this?” Tony exclaimed to the always-had-an-opinion Nick Fury, whose arms were draped across the back of the couch, observing the two men. 

“Just listen to him,” Fury said with a wave of his hand. “I didn’t want it either. But the man has a point.”

Tony furrowed his eyebrows at that response, stood, and faced his friend. Tony was quite a few inches shorter than the God of Thunder, yet his energy was unrivaled. 

“I am not going to endanger my team just so that your...brother...could get his so called redemption.” 

Thor towered over Tony, not breaking their intense eye contact. The tension was so intense that one could feel the thunder crackling between them. 

“Okay, okay.” 

Fury stepped between the men, knowing that he was probably the sole man who could level with two powerful Avengers. 

Thor still hadn’t broken his glare towards Tony. 

“You think I would allow my brother - adopted, if I may add - to endanger this team? I would not allow it if I thought so.”

Thor suddenly turned away from Tony, facing Fury. 

“You know I would not allow this otherwise. But Loki can actually teach us some valuable… tricks if you will.”

Tony scoffed.

“He can teach us. Yeah, right. Do you not remember how we beat his ass?” 

“The Battle of New York was our war well won, regardless.” 

Thor noticed Tony wince at the mention of the battle, and he felt immediate pity for his fellow Avenger. He didn’t realize how much the Battle of New York had affected his friend - yes, friend. 

Mortals processed things in different ways than Asgardians. Thor was still getting used to how mortals operate differently, as his time spent on Earth and with Jane had helped, but had not fully taught him the psychological difference in humans. 

The pain Tony felt from the battle alone, not even from just the perpetrator, did make Thor temporarily reconsider his proposal. 

But no. Frigga had encouraged Thor to keep Loki on Earth, to allow him to introduce his skills to the mortals, in a peaceful and worthy way. Odin had always taught his sons to value peace over war, even against their enemies. But when Loki showed that he valued otherwise after summoning the Chitauri race against the entirety of Midgard, Odin was enraged, prompting Frigga to encourage Thor to keep Loki on Earth. She knew that Odin would likely banish Loki to the dungeons for eternity, and she believed that Loki deserved better, especially due to the fact that he had privately expressed remorse to her. he had shown slight redemption and was worthy of more. This was for the supposed benefit of the mortals and Loki, as she knew that Odin’s anger would not meet Loki well, yet him truly showing his peaceful side could encourage Odin to accept him. She believed that he had changed after the Battle of New York, that he doesn’t want to bring harm to Earth any longer and wants to prove that he does value peace. 

Thor didn’t know if it was a good idea. He didn't trust Loki. But his mother did. And Thor valued his mother's ideals over most anything. 

When he brought the idea to S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury, he expected some pushback, which he got. But surprisingly, it didn’t take long until Fury allowed it. 

Thor had also added that Loki was mainly there to make reparations. He could easily rebuild any part of Stark Tower, the Triskelion, or any other building that had been destroyed during the Battle of New York instantly, due to his illusionist powers. He can also transfer healing stones to those injured in the battle, mending whatever injuries they had very quickly. 

That persuaded Fury even more. He trusted Thor; he had to trust one of the most powerful members of his team. 

Fury knew that Thor had a hold over his brother, and he could control him if needed. Plus, Stark Tower and S.H.I.E.L.D had so much security; so many efficiently trained security guards that physically overpowering him wasn’t an issue. 

It was his sorcery that would be hard to control. But Thor assured him that Frigga had taught him how to enchant certain small spaces so that no magic could be done there. She had also enchanted a pair of cuffs to place on Loki’s wrists that would permit him from doing magic. They would remove the cuffs when training, obviously, but otherwise - he wouldn’t be able to maliciously use his sorcery. 

Thor was clearly passionate about this. And Fury didn’t want to risk his professional relationship - and Thor’s role on the team - with the God. 

Plus, he liked the idea of Loki using his powers to heal those who were hurt from the battle, and to repair the two buildings. He trusted Thor on how he could contain Loki’s magic, and liked the idea of introducing the Avengers to a new form of offense. Loki couldn’t teach them the magic, per se, but teach them mindsets through the magic. 

They did fight each other, after all. It wouldn’t be bad to get into the head of their villain. 

So, Nick Fury agreed. 

Tony Stark, however, seemed far from agreement. It seemingly didn’t help that Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov had entered the room too, silently yet intensely watching the discussion between Tony and Thor. 

But unbeknownst to Thor, Steve and Natasha had already been persuaded by Fury to allow the God of Mischief access into their team. 

It wasn’t until Steve spoke up that it seemed like any progress would get made. 

“Tony, maybe it’s not a bad idea.”

Tony whirled around, facing Steve.

“Steve. C’mon buddy, you can’t actually think that.”

Steve shrugged. “I like the idea of instant reparation. How could we turn down the chance of him repairing our buildings, and our people?”

Tony just glared. But then Steve flashed that smile, and Natasha chimed in, saying, “We kicked his ass once before. We could overpower him again if we need to.”

Tony stood, back facing everyone, hands on the table, seemingly contemplating. 

After a moment, he turned back around.

“We keep him in the enchanted room whenever he isn’t training with us. He has to wear those cuffs always. And fix the buildings and heal the hurt immediately.”

He was met with silence, until Fury said, “Agreed.”

Tony nodded, and once again walked up to Thor, looking up at him.

“Do you really think Loki is changed? Do you really think he’ll be of benefit to us?”

Thor looked down at Tony. 

“I do.”

Tony took a step closer to the God. 

“Then if he does anything, anything to endanger this team... it’s on you.”

Thor nodded. 

“I know.”

After no response, Thor faced Fury, and said, “He is currently staying in a temporary Asgardian...sanctuary. I will bring him here in three days. And...thank you.”

Fury nodded, and once again said, “If anything goes wrong, Thor, it’s on you.”

Thor and Fury left the room together, silently muttering to each other. Tony was sitting now, staring at the ground.  
Steve hesitantly approached Tony, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“You okay?”

“I don’t like Loki, at all, but I couldn’t deny the help that he offered. Helping the hurt, repairing buildings? I couldn’t, I couldn’t…”

“I know,” Steve said. He knew how much his friend had mentally suffered from the Battle of New York, and how painful it would be to see Loki again. “You’re very selfless, Tony. I trust Thor. I think it’ll be okay.”

Meanwhile, Thor had left the Triskelion and went to see his brother. Frigga had enchanted an abandoned warehouse to hold Loki for a few days. Thor needed to get himself and Loki ready to stay with the Avengers for a while. 

Thor did push many people to trust Loki. And he did believe that Loki could be of great help to the Avengers. 

But did he trust him? The only reason he slightly did was because of their familial ties and his mother. But there was still a slight annoyance at the fact that his mother pushed him to allow Loki into the Avengers. 

But if Thor didn’t trust him, or at least pretend to trust him...who could?


	2. grips

Working for S.H.I.E.L.D was not a normal day job, despite some normal aspects. As a receptionist, Sofia Varland did make appointments for Nick Fury, she did answer the phone, and she did greet guests who came into the famed Triskelion (through a camera, of course. She worked in one of the most high risk buildings in the world. No way she was just going to sit at a desk in the lobby; she had her own office). She was also great at typing fast, keeping things tidy, and keeping updated office records.

Part of her job description was having to arrange travel accommodations (who knew when Nick Fury and Maria Hill would have to go to New York to visit Tony Stark, or Virginia to check up on Bruce Banner, or Sokovia to deal with whatever the next political obstacle would be thrown at the Avengers), sort mail (though she had to do that with official S.H.I.E.L.D agents, due to the fact that who knew what stone, poison, or object would come through), and answer emails (there were more emails from girls professing their love for Steve Rogers than one would think; why they were sent to S.H.I.E.L.D, Sofia didn’t know). 

Sofia never knew what each work day would entail. Some days, she just did her normal receptionist duties over her computer. But it was every few days or so that she would be tasked with something that no other company would task their receptionist with - taking Natasha Romanov’s measurements so S.H.I.E.L.D could make an upgraded, more durable suit for her - placing orders for more arrows for Clint Barton - consulting with security tech companies on how to make the Triskelion the most secure building in the country.

In addition to the fact that every month, Sofia was required to go through the same type of trainings as the rest of the Avengers - last session was MMA fighting, two training sessions ago was behavioral analysis, and the next training is weapon building - this was not a normal job. 

Not in the slightest. 

However, throughout all of the spontaneous, mentally strenuous, and just unexpected things Sofia witnessed working for S.H.I.E.L.D, nothing could have prepared her for what she would see when she entered the conference room, for the monthly Avengers conference.

Sofia had just gotten back from a weeklong time off, as her mother had just died and she was allowed to mourn, so this meeting would be her first work-related event since she got back. The meeting was pushed a few weeks earlier than usual, which confused Sofia, as S.H.I.E.L.D was always very strict with their scheduling. 

Sofia felt okay. She was upset, of course, that her mother had died. But she had not spoken to her mother since leaving at age 18. Her father had left them when she was young, and her mother never emotionally recovered. She had seen her father maybe 5 times since then. 

She was okay. Not great, but okay.

The emotion that mostly occupied her, however, was excitement. She was excited to go to the Avengers meeting. She got to see the Avengers only every few months, and she missed them. She had seen them right after the Battle of New York, for required recaps, but that was it. And even that was brief.

She was, however, running late. This was her worst trait, she was always fucking late. Nick Fury tolerated it, due to the fact that she was so good at her job, but it still wasn’t good. Especially to the Avengers meeting. 

When Sofia did finally make it inside that conference room - security checks had taken longer than usual, of course - she kept her head down and rushed to the closest seat. Thankfully, everyone was still talking to each other and the meeting did not start yet. However, she really did not want to draw attention to herself.

But Nick Fury had other plans.

“Sofia,” he said, in his usual serious manner, yet with a hint of amusement in his voice. “Glad to see that you made it.”

Sofia just nodded in response and pulled out her laptop. She needed to start taking notes, now.

But right before she did - she looked up. 

Her anxiety from being late slowly melted away as she saw all the people she cared about, in one place. Natasha Romanov and Steve Rogers were sitting next to each other; Natasha’s serious demeanor heavily contrasting with Steve’s lighter one. She saw Tony Stark talking to Bruce Banner, his usual playful exterior gone. Clint Barton was sitting in silence, as was Thor, and - 

Who was that next to Thor?

Sofia nearly did a double take.

Sitting next to Thor, in a seat that was usually empty…

Was that... Loki?

Sofia peered at the God, knowing she was being obvious but she didn’t fucking care. 

She had never seen Loki in person; she’d only seen pictures of him in the news and in the S.H.I.E.L.D archives. 

He had no horns, and he was not clad in the green armor she was used to seeing him in. But the shoulder-length black hair, narrow frame, piercing blue eyes … this was undoubtedly him. 

She felt herself tense up, and quickly looked away from him. Was this just one of his illusions? How’d he get here through security? Why is he here?

As Nick Fury started the meeting, initially going over basic meeting points, Sofia still turned away from Loki, though she did want to know why he was here. She felt very...uncomfortable.

To counteract this, however, she decided to steal a glance at Loki amid typing. She looked up, slowly, scared of what she would see. 

But Loki was looking the opposite way. Sofia was so entranced with him, taking in all of the details of his hair, his profile, his clothes, his posture, that when Loki looked up, probably sensing that he was being looked at...she didn't look away. It was only until he looked her straight in the eyes, his blue eyes burning into hers that she winced and felt inclined to look away, especially when his expression turned from neutral to...disgust. But then she looked back up, only for Loki to have completely shifted, facing Thor. Sofia was now staring at the side of his head, and realizing this, went red and turned back to her computer.

What the fuck was that?

Sofia was one of the most skilled employees of S.H.I.E.L.D apart from the executives and the agents. And here she was, fucking blushing because she stared at the fucking God of Mischief for too long.

As Sofia continued to take notes for the meeting that was unusually regular despite the irregular guest, she continued to wonder why Loki was even fucking there. And why nobody had mentioned it. 

It was so fucking strange to see Loki sitting there next to the fucking Avengers. 

Were they not just fucking battling?

When the meeting concluded, and everyone rose, she sat, still in shock. This was so so fucking strange. Loki and the Avengers were just peacefully sitting together? What the fuck?

“So am I imagining things? Or is… Loki … why is he here?” Sofia gasped to Maria Hill, the person in closest proximity to her, as they were walking out of the room.

Maria just chuckled, and her causality confused the fuck out of Sofia. Was she living in a fever dream?

“You chose the worst week to take a vacation, Sofia.”

And then, Maria launched into the whole spiel. About how Loki was banished from Asgard, and ordered to stay on Earth with the Avengers, to train with them and make reparations. How yes, the Avengers pushed back, especially Tony, but Thor was able to convince Nick Fury to convince the rest of them.

When Maria saw Sofia’s face, her mouth agape, she nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. That’s how I reacted too. To be honest, I don’t like that idea. But Fury does, and I trust him. I just don’t trust Loki.”

“I don’t trust Loki either,” Sofia said, still in bewilderment. She gathered her things and started to walk with Maria. They walked into an elevator to go back up to the offices. Sofia’s office, of course, was on one of the highest floors. “Are they not aware of the fact that Loki betrayed them? Multiple times?”

Maria nodded. “I know, I know. I agree. But he does have a lot of enchantments on him to prevent him from doing any dark magic. There’s going to be very tight restrictions on him. And I trust Nick… we have to.”

Sofia just shook her head. 

“I don’t like it. I trust Nick, yeah, but just not Loki. I don’t feel comfortable with this. If I’m being honest, I think he’s a piece of shit for what he did to Thor and the Avengers. He’s -”

But before Sofia could finish, the elevator doors opened. Sofia found herself face to face with Thor, and then, to her surprise - Loki.

They crowded into the elevator, the typicalness of this interaction making Sofia very uncomfortable. 

She could not fucking believe this. She really couldn’t. She was in an elevator, standing awkwardly and silently next to Maria Hill, Thor, and fucking Loki. 

The same Loki who had fucking massacred thousands of innocent civilians, who betrayed his brother, who summoned the whole ass fucking Chitauri race on New York. 

She did not like Loki, and the fact that he was staying here. Not one bit.

Maria got off at the next floor, and Sofia prayed that Thor and Loki would as well. But of course, they didn’t. She glanced at the button they pressed, and of fucking course it was the floor right below hers. 

“Sofia… how are you?” Thor stated awkwardly, as it was obvious that none of them were going to get off the elevator yet. 

“I’m good,” she coughed awkwardly. “Just got back from vacation.”

They made some small talk (for such a high tech building, the elevators were so fucking slow), until Thor finally turned around and faced Sofia.

“This is my brother, Loki. Loki, Sofia.”

Sofia would’ve said hello, at least, but to her surprise, Loki barely even looked at her. Sofia had some good conversations with Thor in the past, but this was so fucking uncomfortable that Sofia couldn’t be happier when they finally got to Thor and Loki’s floor.  
After they stepped out, she was about to press the button to close the elevator doors when suddenly, she felt a firm hand on her wrist.

She looked up, only to look right into the blue eyes of fucking Loki. She froze, and didn’t know what to do. She looked past him towards Thor, or at least tried. But she couldn’t break his locked gaze. 

She was fucking terrified. She was about to yell, or do something, until Loki’s grip slackened.

“If you’re not going to trust me, you might not want to say it when I’m right there.”

And then, his hand left her wrist and he slid between the elevator doors just as they closed, giving her no chance to respond or even process what was happening. 

Sofia just stood there in shock. 

There was no emotion in Loki’s voice, so she had no fucking idea what the fuck he meant.

She wasn’t usually that fazed by things - she did work for S.H.I.E.L.D, to be fair - but this rattled her a bit. 

What the fuck even happened?

One thing was for sure, though. 

The feeling of Loki’s tight grip on her wrist wouldn’t fucking go away. 

Likewise, the thought of Loki was going to loiter in Sofia’s mind for quite a while. 

Unfortunately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest I don't like how this is written but I wanted to give an introduction to Loki and Sofia. Writing quality will get better. Thanks for reading!


	3. combat

By the following week, Loki wasn’t on Sofia’s mind. He wasn’t on her mind at all. 

What was on Sofia’s mind, however, was preparing for the Avengers training session. This is required by S.H.I.E.L.D for everyone signed onto The Avengers Initiative, to be enacted as needed. They’re required to get trained in different offensive and defensive techniques, and also to make sure that they’re in the best shape possible. 

There are many legal aspects of being an Avenger that most don’t know about. 

Sofia was actually early, and she headed to the training floor, excited to start documenting training sessions again. 

Today was hand to hand combat training. 

It’s comical to think about the prospect of the Avengers practicing hand to hand combat against each other, especially when basically all of them have other ways of attack. But this was one of the only training sessions in which the Avengers could not use their alternative strengths. Meaning, it was all about physical strength. 

But it’s required. As Maria Hill put it, “Who knows if your suit will break down (Tony), if your arrows won’t work (Clint), or if you can’t turn (Bruce).”

Thor was probably the only safe one out of all of them, as he had Mjölnir to aid him. But yet, he needed to be trained too. 

The training gym was a magnificent facility, and thankfully, the majority of the Avengers were already warming up when Sofia arrived. 

Steve was working on a punching bag, each punch rippling through the back as if to further exemplify his strength. Tony was jogging on a treadmill, along with Clint, while Bruce and Natasha were focusing on chest presses.

It really was strange to see the Avengers, the fucking Avengers, doing basic workouts together. 

When they were all called to the training floor, Sofia finally noticed the two Gods that were missing. But of course, right as the idea of Loki penetrated her thoughts, Thor and Loki sauntered into the gym, dressed in matching gray sweatpants and t-shirts.

It was comical to see Thor and Loki, two of the most powerful beings on Earth right now, dressed like they had just rolled out of bed. 

The Avengers started to pair up, like routine. Clint and Natasha, Bruce and Tony, Thor and Steve. When stripped of their powers or assets, at this pairing, they’re pretty equal. 

Except, Loki. 

He side-eyed Thor as Thor went to Steve, and was now standing awkwardly.

Loki, God of Mischief, perpetrator of one of the biggest battles in recent American history - awkward and alone, clearly wanting to be anywhere else.

Sofia wasn’t paying too much attention at this point. She was just taking pictures and notes, like usual.

This was until Sofia saw Maria Hill, the only other S.H.I.E.L.D employee present, approach her.

“Sofia,” Maria whispered, and when Sofia looked up and saw the discomfort in her eyes, she knew that whatever Maria was about to say wouldn’t be good.

This, paired with Loki standing by himself, looking at the ground, made something click in Sofia’s head.

When Maria asked if Sofia would pair with Loki, because he doesn’t have a partner but needs one, Sofia immediately said no. 

But then Maria said that one of the Avengers couldn’t pair with him, because then they would have to do two trainings and potentially have an unfair disadvantage. And Sofia completed the same trainings that the Avengers did. And Loki and Sofia had similar body types.

Sofia really, really didn’t want to pair with Loki. But she also really, really wanted to please the higher-ups at S.H.I.E.L.D, so she begrudgingly agreed and walked onto the training floor.

But as she did, as she walked closer to Loki, she felt her heart rate increase along with her anxiety. She really did not feel comfortable being this close to Loki. 

But she had to. As she stood side by side with Loki, she turned to watch Thor and Steve, who had already entered the ring circling each other. Nick Fury had finally arrived and stood outside of the ring, soberly watching the two Avengers.

This was so fucking funny. It was, to see Thor and Steve Rogers fucking squaring up. 

“And...go.”

In an instant, Steve had his arm wrapped around Thor’s neck from behind. Thor struggled, for a moment, grasping at Steve’s arm until he reached back and grabbed at Steve’s shoulders. He bent forward almost on all fours, lifting Steve off the floor and slamming him on his side. Thor, losing momentum, attempted to lean on Steve, though not before Steve rolled to the side and grabbed Thor’s arm, taking advantage of his unequal balance and pulling him to the floor on top him. He wrapped his arm around Thor’ neck, again, hitting the floor three times until he let go. Thor rolled over away from him, his blonde hair matted to his forehead, breathing heavily and scowling.

“Good job, buddy,” Steve said righteously, a typical tone of Steve’s. 

Sofia glanced over at Loki, and noted that he was trying to hold back a grin. A grin, aimed at Thor’s loss? Or at the camaraderie of this whole affair?

Sofia assumed it was the former, which rattled her even more. It was simple, just a subtle grin, but it scared Sofia. Was he not as...loyal...to his brother as assumed? 

In the subsequent fight, Natasha and Clint repeated a similar motion, Natasha narrowly pinning Clint down after a long stalemate. Bruce and Tony were going through the motions too, until Bruce had enough of Tony having an advantage over him - despite them being basically the same height - and turned green, quickly. He raged at Tony, and Tony rapidly jumped out of the way, narrowly missing Bruce. 

“Fuck this,” Tony muttered, and quickly suited up. What was originally a simple hand to hand combat training was now a full-blown Avengers battle. 

“Woah, woah, woah!” Fury shouted, right as Bruce was blasted by Tony after attempting to charge at him. Bruce slammed back against the edge of the ring, growling and clearly raging. 

“Men!” Fury yelled again, the sound of his voice causing Bruce to look up in shock, a humanistic look splayed across his animalistic face, and quickly change his demeanor from the green beast to the pale, confused-looking human. Tony stepped out of his armor as well, an unreadable look on his face. Fury was furious, and berated the two men for venturing outside of training rules. 

Sofia was taking notes on all of this, of course. She was so focused on her notes that the fact that she was still going to have to do this with Loki wasn’t on her mind...until it was. 

She hoped that this fucking mess was enough to distract everyone from that fact. 

But Fury had other plans. Once Tony and Bruce had left the ring, sweaty and scowling, Fury turned to Loki, still standing on the side of the ring. 

He pointed to Loki.

“I swear, boy, if you pull any tricks like they just did,” Fury sighed, motioning towards the ring. Loki just let out a snort and stepped into the ring. 

“Go as hard as you can,” Maria whispered to Sofia as she closed her laptop. “He’s a lot stronger than he looks.”

As Sofia tentatively stepped into the ring behind Loki, her heart was beating so fast she couldn’t fucking think, let alone practice combat. 

When she finally did face Loki, body to body, face to face, she couldn’t even bring herself to look him in the eye. She was forced to, though, when he threw the first punch, causing her to duck in surprise (and trained reflex) and then, finally, get into game mode.

She threw a punch back, though Loki leaned over so that it only brushed against his ear. In a move as quickly as the speed of light, he grabbed her arm, still at the side of his face, and yanked it, causing her to stumble closer to her. Simultaneously, he threw a punch under her arm. Before it could hit her, however, she ripped her arm free from Loki’s grasp and jumped back.

Loki ducked down and grabbed for her waist, seemingly to knock her over, until Sofia roundhouse kicked him in the side, causing him to fall on his elbow. Sofia leaned down, about to call a TKO when they locked eyes.

It felt like time stopped. Maybe it did. Because before she had a chance to react, Loki reached up, wrapped his arms around her waist with an iron grip, and slammed her on her back, hard. 

Maria was right. Loki was much stronger than he looked. 

Sofia grasped at Loki’s chest, trying to pull him down beside her but simply couldn’t grab at anything. Loki pinned her right wrist to the ground with his elbow, and hiked his knee up to pin down her calf.

They seemed to be in that position forever, and when they made eye contact and realized that Loki was basically straddling her, he smoothly rolled on his side and stood up, brushing his knees.

He didn’t even break a sweat, while Sofia was drenched and panting.

“Not bad,” Nick Fury muttered, not looking Loki in the eye. Though it was important to see Loki’s skills first hand, he didn’t enjoy witnessing one of his employees going down, especially not by one of his biggest past enemies.

Nick Fury might have been angry, but boy, was Sofia angrier. She was still lying on her back, not breathing as heavily anymore but still sweaty.

Fuck. Loki was a lot stronger than he looked. 

But she couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him when she stood up and exited the ring. That was until she found him cowering next to Thor, in quiet conversation with him.

She wondered what he was thinking. 

She wasn’t embarrassed - everyone has won and lost in training - but she was still angry. Her mind was so blank during that whole fight; she was so distracted but not even by anything.

She was basically a vegetable, which pissed her off. She was equally as trained as everyone else, but of course couldn’t fucking hold her ground. 

She would defeat him in something. Soon enough.

But for now - he needed to get the fuck out of her mind. So much about trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! wherever we may roam has also been updated, so check that out if you would like. enjoy!


	4. drive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow an update finally! sorry omg but i've been thinking about this fic so much and i'm definitely going to try to update more frequently. i also met tom a few weeks ago (heart eyes omg) which i can't stop thinking about while writing HAHAH anyway enjoy!

Regardless of the fact that Loki was bouncing in and out of her mind, Sofia really had to focus on other things. Such as the fact that all of the Avengers were going out to dinner for some reason, and Sofia needed to make security arrangements. 

Outside of training, and their major battles, the Avengers really did not spend that much time together. Bruce spent most of his time at Culver in Virginia doing research, Tony was usually in New York or some other glitzy destination, and Clint was almost always in Missouri with his family. Thor was rarely on Earth unless summoned, a contrast to Steve, who lived in DC and often worked in the Triskelion, and Natasha was…. well, no one really knew. But she was always right on time when summoned, so no one questioned it. 

So Sofia, not used to seeing the Avengers outside of official duties, was confused as fuck as to how to plan, how to act, what to wear….

But she did plan efficiently, as usual. She booked a private room of a very small, very elite Italian restaurant in Georgetown. She notified security that all of the Avengers and a few high-ranked S.H.I.E.L.D agents would be going out (regardless of the fact that they’re the most powerful beings on Earth, they need security when going out in public). She picked out an outfit that was appropriate yet stylish. 

She was fully prepared. Or so she thought.

Because as she was about to get into the car to leave on the day of, she mentally listed off the Avengers she had seen get into their cars. 

Tony...Steve...Bruce...Natasha...Clint…

She nearly slapped herself on the forehead once she realized that Thor was nowhere to be found.

Fuck! And she was nearly about to leave too.

Thankfully, right before she was about to freak out and run back into the Triskelion, Thor emerged outside.

“Oh thank God,” Sofia sighed, opening the door of the car so Thor could walk in.

To her mistake, though, she didn’t notice the figure walking slightly behind Thor, an unreadable look on his face.

Loki.

She tensed up the second she saw him,. She knew that she would have to see him, of course, though that didn’t mean she necessarily wanted to.

But why the fuck was he coming to dinner?

The car sped off before Sofia could even collect her thoughts. 

When Sofia arrived at dinner, pretty late, all she was thinking about was Loki and how she didn’t want to talk to him or even see him.

It’s not even that she disliked him, necessarily. She just felt so...uncomfortable around him. Uneasy. She was so used to hearing about him wreaking havoc and countlessly betraying Thor that seeing him sullen and basically silent with the Avengers was an unsettling juxtaposition. 

Though he does often mutter to Thor, she had only spoken to him once, when he grabbed her wrist in the elevator. And even that was...weird. Why would he do that?

God. Sofia hated pondering over Loki, something she did more often than she’d like to admit. Especially due to the fact that they had very minimal interaction.

Some higher being, maybe it was Thor, or Odin, or the God of fucking Mischief himself must’ve tuned into Sofia’s thoughts and wanted to fuck with her, however. Because when she arrived at the restaurant, flashing her ID to security outside the private room before quickly slipping inside, she was startled to find that of course, of fucking course, the only chair left was one at the end of the table, sandwiched between the wall and, sigh, Loki. 

She didn’t want to show her inner emotions on her face, though no one was really paying attention. She slid in next to Loki, purposefully looking ahead. Everyone was emerged in conversation, the likes of which she quickly joined. 

She couldn’t help thinking about Loki, though. The fact that he wasn’t talking. His matching dark green shirt and trousers, which she observed by looking over at him….occasionally. His light blue eyes. His…..

Fuck. Sofia needed to stop thinking about him. Now.

It was because he's new, Sofia convinced herself, thankfully being able to manage through the dinner without anything irrational happening. 

Well, except for the fact that Steve attempted to throw a piece of calamari into Clint's wide-open mouth across the table. 

He was successful.

By the time dinner was over, with Loki having said absolutely nothing, Sofia actually felt pretty good. She had a great conversation with Bruce, who always knew how to uplift her spirits, along with Tony, who's wit always made Sofia laugh. She felt good. Not anxious, not thinking about Loki, just happy to be at a dinner with her friends. 

That was until Maria stopped her as everyone was filing out to the cars.

“Sofia,” Maria smiled, dragging the last syllable slightly too long, smiling slightly too wide. “How’d you like dinner? Did you try the calamari?”

“Yeah, it was good…” Sofia responded suspiciously, sensing that Maria wanted something.

“Listen. We’ve been...talking to our psychologists. And from their observations, it doesn’t seem that Loki feels...like a part of the team yet.”

Once Maria said Loki’s name, Sofia felt a cold chill run throughout her body. 

God.

She was so focused on that fucking feeling that she didn’t even catch what Maria requested of her.

“Wait...what?” Sofia requested.

“So would you do it?” Maria requested.

“Do...what?”

Maria sighed. “We want Loki to feel like he’s part of the team. Our psychologists suggest that we might have been treating him a little too...prisoner like. Shuffling him around with security everywhere. So they said that we need to try and treat him…” Maria grimaced. “Try and treat him how we would treat any other team member.”

“I understand...but how does that involve me?” Sofia trailed.

“Can you drive him back? To the Triskelion?

“What?” Sofia sputtered. “Drive him back? I --”

“You have full security clearance relating to S.H.I.E.L.D, you know that, right? So you’re able to drive our cars. It’s just that Loki has always been kind of manhandled, treated differently than Thor with so much security that we want him to feel comfortable, well, our psychologists want us to. So he can contribute to the team, because as powerful as he is, he honestly isn’t doing shit that shows he can help us yet. We think that having you ride alone with him and making some conversation will show that we trust him.”

“I…” Sofia wanted to protest. She wanted nothing more than to not have to be alone in a car with Loki. But she couldn’t protest, not against Maria. “Fine.”

“Great!” Maria exclaimed. But then her demeanor shifted, and after quickly looking over at the distracted Nick, she leaned into Sofia, a sudden annoyed look on her face. “I’m not thrilled about Loki being here to begin with. Especially you being alone with him. But the car is enchanted, so no magic could be done. And you’ll have undercover security cars around you. I don’t like him being here but he is, so we all have to try and include him. Let me know how he responds to you, though.”

Sofia just nodded. She didn’t like this either. But she had to. For S.H.I.E.L.D.

After walking a few blocks to where the cars were parked, finding the specific black Audi she was instructed to drive, and circling back to the restaurant, Sofia’s nerves were through the roof. She really didn’t want to have to be alone in a car with Loki. 

She didn’t even have time to react once she pulled up to the restaurant, though. Because in a flash, Loki was escorted out of the restaurant and practically shoved into the passenger seat.

Sofia quickly sped away, wanting to get to the Triskelion as fast as possible.

The silence was defeaning, and with a chance to actually fucking think, Maria’s instructions of making conversation with Loki echoed in her mind. 

Fuck.

Sofia wondered if Loki knew why he was alone.

“So...did you like the meal?” Sofia asked, her voice audibly shaking. 

Why did she have to sound so fucking nervous?

Loki didn’t respond, of fucking course. Sofia saw out of the corner of her eye that he was just staring ahead, an unreadable look on his face. As much as Sofia wanted to leave it at that, she couldn’t.

“Have you had Italian? It’s my favorite,” she questioned again, her voice still shaking.

Sofia expected her question to fall flat, and anticipated the silence that would follow. 

Suddenly, though, she heard Loki speak.

“I am from the planet of Asgard, the most powerful of the Nine Realms. I have tasted cuisine that doesn’t even exist on this planet. It is incomparable to your Midgardian...Italian.”

Sofia gulped, a chill running through her body. She slightly glanced over to him, and he was staring straight ahead. His voice, the slimy way he said the word Italian, and even the fact that he fucking responded, had such an effect on her that when she pulled up to the red light, she slammed on the brakes, hard.

Of course, Loki didn’t move an inch. 

She really hated how nervous Loki made her. She didn’t know if it was because of her preconceived notion of him, of his sullenness, of their first interaction, or what. 

She just knew that she never wanted to be alone with him again. 

“What type of cuisine?” Sofia finally asked, her voice barely a squeak. She was gripping the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles were white, pointedly staring ahead.

“Asgardian,” Loki responded rather quickly, no tone in his voice other than the indication that he wasn’t going to say anything else on the matter. He was looking straight ahead, not even glancing over.

Sofia accepted that answer and spent the rest of the ride in silence, breaking it only to awkwardly say, “Here we are…” as they pulled up to the Triskelion.

Loki didn’t respond.

Sofia audibly scoffed, and once the car door was opened and Loki was escorted out of the car by security, she muttered a quiet, “Whatever,” and went to park the car in the high-security garages.

As Sofia checked in at the Triskelion, she couldn’t help but feel...well, she couldn’t figure out how she was feeling. She wasn’t sad...but she did wish Loki was a little more conversational, as nervous as she was. She thought she was making a good conversation. Loki actually responding definitely would’ve eased her nerves.

Why was he so shut off?

Whatever. Sofia didn’t care about Loki’s opinion of her. She did what she had to do, successfully, and helped with S.H.I.E.L.D’s initiative. 

Sofia didn’t care about Loki’s opinion of her. She really didn’t.

Well…

Did she?


	5. surprise

The next week wasn’t too busy, as the Avengers had left and gone to their respective homes. Still, Sofia had responsibilities. S.H.I.E.L.D was being audited, so Sofia was assigned the task of reviewing the Battle of New York files and how much S.H.I.E.L.D spent during it.

Yes, even S.H.I.E.L.D gets audited. Regardless of the fact that they don’t pay taxes.

That’s one of those tasks that are a little more menial than some of the others. But Sofia didn’t mind. It was for S.H.I.E.L.D, after all. 

Another task she was assigned, though not as explicitly, was to try and get closer with Loki. She hated it, she even pushed back when Maria made those ever-so-subtle comments that she should try to get him to warm up to her. She really didn’t want to speak to Loki ever again. 

Everything about him confused her. At that first meeting, he looked disgusted to see her. Then, he strangely confronted her in the elevator. Their combat training didn’t mean anything, neither did when she drove him, clearly. So why was Maria expecting her to be friends with him? 

She hated it. She hated making an effort with him when he barely made one with her. It was fucking embarassing, to be honest. It made her feel so exposed in front of him, a man who she didn’t even want to come in contact with. 

But she had to do it. She cared for the team so much and wanted to play her part, even though it made her so unbelievably uncomfortable.

Thankfully, she hadn’t seen Loki much recently. So he wasn’t really on her mind.

That was until she was directed to the basement to find the Battle of New York files, as they had been moved from their normal room due to a leak.

For such a high tech building, the Triskelion has a surprising amount of maintenance issues. 

As Sofia made her way down to the basement, she passed Maria, Fury, and fucking Tony Stark, all who gave some tangent on the Battle of New York, with Maria making yet another comment about how Sofia should be friendly to Loki. Making conversation with all of them really deterred her from what she was doing. 

She was so focused on those conversations that when she got to the basement, she blindly walked over to the boxes of files, swiped her ID to gain access, and rummaged through nearly a whole box until she realized that she needed to get those fucking New York files.

God. 

She did find them, but due to the fact that they took up basically a whole box, she had to carry the box upstairs, which was more than she expected.

As she walked across the basement back to the elevator, she looked around, as she barely paid attention while walking over there. It was as dark and damp as one would expect a basement to be, regardless of how advanced the rest of the Triskelion is. There were visible pipes on the ceiling, random tools scattered about, and honestly, the whole basement just had random instruments and papers and tools all around.

But that was until Sofia saw the blue, glowing, small-room-sized box in the corner of the room.

And what -- or who -- else would be inside of it, but none other than Loki.

So this is where Loki stayed. Sofia had wondered that.

He was sitting against the wall, reading a book, paying her no attention. Sofia wondered if it was soundproof. 

As she went to swipe out of the basement, Maria’s advice of speaking to Loki rang in her head, and Sofia sighed.

I mean, it’s not like Loki could go anywhere. She might as well.

She approached Loki’s box, expecting Loki to look up.

He didn’t.

She got closer and lightly tapped on the glass. Yeah, she was surprised to discover that it was glass.

Loki still didn’t look up. He was adamently staring down at that fucking book. 

Sofia tapped harder, and Loki finally looked up. His face was stoic and poker as usual. 

“Um, hi,” Sofia said, trying to conceal her nervousness. “How are you?”

Loki just scoffed and looked to the side, not responding. 

This was torturous for Sofia. But there was also something about Loki’s reclusiveness, his reluctance to to talk to her, that made her want to talk to him more. To break through to him, as her own personal challenge, in addition to Maria’s orders. 

“Have you..been fed? Is there anything you need?”

Surprisingly, Loki answered, though he still didn’t look up. 

“Yes, I have been fed. They do not neglect me as much as it lets on, though it is the bare minimum.”

“Have you seen the rest of the building? It really is a cool building, I’m sure you’d be interested.”

No response.

“Do you know the other Avengers well? They might not seem willing to talk, but they’re all really interesting, I mean, Bruce is so smart, and Natasha seems intimidating but she’s actually a great friend to have, and Thor, well you know Thor, and…”

Sofia stopped herself. She was rambling, talking nonsense, and besides, Loki was looking back at his book, not paying attention to her. 

And in this moment, Sofia started to get mad. It was a challenge to speak to Loki, and she did want to break through to him. But he was being, and there was no other way of saying it, rude. He wouldn’t even look at her, let alone respond. 

“You know, you could at least respond,” Sofia stated, annoyed.

Loki, seemingly surprised, looked up. He raised an eyebrow, but still didn’t respond.

Sofia threw her hands up, scoffed, and turned around. The audacity of this man.

“I don’t know how the other guys treat you, but I’ve been trying to be nice to you this whole fucking time. And you don’t even respond! I mean, I get that you may not want to be here, but at least fucking try. I don’t --”

“Try?” Loki finally responded, a weird tinge to his voice.

Sofia turned around, and slightly jumped.

Loki was standing up against the glass, looking at Sofia right in the face.

“Try?” Loki repeated, his head cocked, with that perpetual poker face. 

Sofia didn’t know how to respond. She wasn’t expecting him to respond to her rant. 

Loki continued to make prolonged eye contact with Sofia, until suddenly, his eyes darkened, and he slammed both of his hands against the glass.

“You’re telling me to try?” Loki urged, his voice raised but not yet yelling, a disgusting look plastered on his face. 

Sofia still didn’t respond, though she didn’t jump again, thankfully.

Loki locked eye contact with her, and when he finally broke it, he turned, commencing his own rant. 

“I am locked in this box against my own will, a slave for these...mortals. I am a God. Labor like this is beneath me.”

“That’s exactly why you should try!” Sofia shouted, her eyes wide. “You might as well, if you’re here --”

“Do not even talk to me about trying,” Loki responded, his voice returning to its normal state as he returned to his book. 

So Loki thought he was higher than her. Above her. She was inferior. 

That condescending tone, the way he acted towards her, angered Sofia greatly. So she simply stormed out of the basement, vowing to never make an effort with Loki again.

To hell with Maria’s advice. If Loki doesn’t want to talk, fine.

He can enjoy his lonely solitude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO omg i know this chapter is short however i feel like there's a lot of loki action that makes up for it and also for not posting lol. SORRY lmk what you think about this chapter and i'll upload the next one soon!


	6. confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO!! sorry for taking so long to update but this is the longest chapter yet so I hope it makes up for it<3
> 
> also, I've been rewatching all of the mcu movies bc I have more time now and have a) been much more motivated to update so look our for more, b) have noticed some plot details inconsistent to the mcu so changed it, though most of those changes are for upcoming chapters and c) have added in some subplots. though the main focus is of course on loki and sofia, i wanted to add some subplots to further develop sofia's character, the setting, and the story. 
> 
> read the notes at the end for a tldr on those !! and thanks for reading enjoy!!

Maybe Loki wouldn’t be in solitude. Unfortunately. Because literally the same day after talking to Loki, after pretending Sofia didn’t see Maria on the elevator ride back to her office, she was presented with honestly a frustration for such a high-tech building.

A leak.

Yes, a fucking leak in her office. Not terrible, but severe enough to the point that her laptop and several stacks of paper were damp.

Grumbling, Sofia called maintenance, who told her to move out of her office indefinitely until it could be repaired. Though it didn’t look that damaging to her, maintenance did sound urgent.

She then called Maria, who told her to stay put and that she would meet her on her floor. Sofia just sighed and began to gather her things.

But unfortunately, the biggest inconvenience was yet to come. 

Because when Maria met Sofia in her office, she told her that she would need a new office that wasn’t leaking. Apparently, the leak had soaked through many floors and destroyed their makeshift offices.

“There is a desk and security clearance in the basement, as well as a security camera board for you, so we’re going to move you down there for now,” Maria stated as Sofia gathered her things.

Sofia paused.

“The basement?” Sofia said, turning to face Maria, her voice strained. “I---”

She didn’t want to admit it, but Sofia never wanted to see Loki again, let alone work in the same room as him.

“Yeah, it’s not ideal but it is what will have to do for now,” Maria sighed, clearly not noticing the pained look on Sofia’s face.

“But--” 

As they walked up to the elevator, Maria gestured for Sofia to go in, and said, “It will just be temporary. Promise. And maybe you could get friendlier with Loki.”

And then the doors closed, and the elevator shot down to the lobby.

Sofia was in shock. She swore that she wouldn’t ever talk to Loki again and here she was, having to fucking work next to him. 

Thankfully, once she swiped down to the basement, he wasn’t there. His room-box was empty, spare a few books, a cot, and a pile of clothes. She settled down at her desk, unfortunately adjacent from Loki’s room.

She tried to work, but was too distracted. God, Loki wasn’t even in the room and she couldn’t concentrate. What would she do when he was actually there?

She had to ignore it, though. Sofia managed to get some work done, and when Loki did eventually come down, led by two guards, who unlocked his green cuffs and locked him into his room, they didn’t even look at each other. 

But Sofia was still distracted. She clearly was still unable to get over the fact that this is Loki...the same Loki who casually wreaked havoc on the world, who planned world domination.

Whatever. She’ll stop looking at him. And try to block him out as much as she could.

For the next few weeks, they didn’t speak to each other at all. At training, Loki was thankfully paired up with Clint, so they didn’t have to touch each other. They never even made eye contact, at meetings, at trainings, at outings. They might as well have not existed to each other. But Loki’s presence still bothered Sofia. She felt unable to work efficiently with his...being...right there.

Thankfully, Sofia wasn’t in her office that much. The vast majority of her time was spent in meetings. A terrorist called the Mandarin had been connected to a string of bombings, and S.H.I.E.L.D helping other intelligence agencies with collecting evidence had taken up the majority of Sofia’s time. Yes, she was a receptionist, but she was also skilled in combat, biological science, and investigative work. She was a pretty high ranked official, and though Loki was irritating, he wasn’t even on Sofia’s mind that much since hearing about the Mandarin. She needed to work. 

That was until one day, when Sofia was working alone. She was interrupted, however, by guards shuffling Loki in and locking him in his room. Sofia didn’t look up, this was a normal occurrence. 

She did have to look up though when she kept hearing the slight tapping of glass. As she turned to face Loki, she saw that he was lying on his back, tossing a small ball up to the ceiling. It lightly hit the ceiling and dropped back down into his hand. Loki was doing this again, and again, and again to the point where Sofia just had to say something.

“What are you doing?” Sofia asked, annoyed.

An expected silence followed, though Loki did plainly look over at her. He continued to throw the ball up.

Sofia sighed. 

“Can you stop, please?”

Sofia saw Loki sigh and sit up, now facing her.

They stared at each other for a minute, Sofia just growing annoyed. She wasn’t scared of him anymore. She had spent too much time in the same room with him, where he was completely powerless, to be scared of him. If anything, he was more of an inconvenience.

Then, with a snarl, Loki told her to block her ears.

He then laid back down and continued to throw the ball up.

Sofia was so angry she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to ignore him but she couldn’t with that incessant tapping.

Furiously, she stormed upstairs to the elevator to Maria’s office.

Sofia knocked on the door and walked in, seeing less red but still angry.

Maria looked up from her laptop, and before she even had a chance to say anything, Sofia launched into her tirade.

Maria cut her off about 5 minutes in.

“So you’re saying Loki is distracting you?”

“Listen, I wouldn’t complain but it really is hindering my work.”

Maria sighed.

“Okay. I’ll talk to Fury. Give it a day or so.”

“Thank you.”

Sofia grudgingly headed down back to the basement, and didn’t even look at Loki’s room when storming in. 

The next day, when Sofia walked into the basement, Loki was there, but asleep.

Huh. He was so...peaceful when quiet. 

But realizing that she was staring at him, she quickly tore her gaze away.

Weird.

Though Sofia was in the basement for a little bit in the morning, the majority of her day was spent with Fury regarding weapons inventory. At this point, the Mandarin had completely occupied every space in Sofia’s mind. There was no forensic evidence, and S.H.I.E.L.D, along with the other American intelligence agencies, were stuck. S.H.I.E.L.D was reviewing their weapons in case a foreign attack was necessary. It was personally frustrating Sofia too.

By the time she went back downstairs, she saw that she only had a few more hours of her day. She stole a glance at Loki, to see that he was sitting on the floor, reading a book. She scoffed.

Sofia barely had time to settle in, however, before Maria sauntered into the basement. 

“I talked to Fury, and maintenance. They said there’s no place to move you. You’d be able to get back to your office sooner, but there’s an issue with the pipes. I don’t know how long it’ll be, but I promise I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”

Maria stole a quick glare at Loki, who didn’t look up.

Sofia’s heart dropped. Another month here? No. She couldn’t.

“I did get you a gift though.” Maria dropped what looked like to be two black circles on her desk.

Sofia picked them up.

“Wireless headphones. Completely soundproof. I convinced our tech team to sneak me a pair, they aren’t even out yet.”

Sofia was annoyed about her current situation, but she couldn't be mad at Maria. She was on her side. 

Sofia mustered a smile. “Thank you.”

Then, Maria left, leaving Sofia to continue to her work.

Once Maria left, right as Sofia was about to plug the headphones in, she heard what sounded to be a scoff.

Loki.

Sofia looked up, and to her surprise, Loki was looking right at her.

“You really don’t want to work with... me here, I presume?”

This was surprising. Loki, initiating conversation? 

Sofia raised an eyebrow. “You told me to plug my ears.”

“While that might be true...I did not know that my presence bothered you that much.”

Sofia detected mocking in Loki’s voice, which made her angry. 

“It’s not your presence.” 

“Not my presence, you say? Then why did you request to be moved?”

Fuck. Sofia attempted to compose herself. She wasn’t scared of Loki. She wasn’t 

“I’m used to doing work alone. And especially not with someone...throwing a ball every five seconds,” Sofia said steadily.

“So it’s the ball?” Loki responded, immediately.

Sofia stared down at her desk, refusing to look at him.

“It’s fine. I have these now,,” Sofia turned to face Loki and held up the headphones. 

Loki was sitting on his bed, leaning back on his hands, his demeanor cocky. 

He raised an eyebrow.

“So your ears will be blocked, then?”

Sofia nodded in response.

“Good.”

And then Loki leaned back, reached down next to his bed, picked up his ball, and threw it up.

Sofia let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Okay. Loki talking to her was not normal. But this, this lack of personal acknowledgement and even that incessant tapping, was normal. 

Sofia plugged in her earphones and got to work. They were actually soundproof, so Sofia could work in silence, as she liked. 

And for the next few days, this was the routine. No words spoken between the two of them, and Sofia didn’t even know if he was throwing his ball up. 

That was until, on the way to a meeting, Maria sauntered up next to Sofia, sheepishly requesting the headphones back. Fury needed them, she said, and the tech team can’t afford to spare another. Grumbling, Sofia handed them back.

Sofia loved her job, she truly did. But sometimes she felt like she put in more than she received. 

But that’s what happens when you work with the Avengers. 

As Sofia entered the meeting room, she was surprised to see that amongst Fury was Tony, and...Loki.

She pointedly avoided his gaze and sat down. 

She knew why he was here. The United States government had come to a dead end in investigating the Mandarin, and they had sought out different...ideas.

This was so bizarre. Loki, the biggest threat to the Earth so recently is now helping. Thank God for his reconstructive powers.

She understood the reasoning behind his presence.

But that didn’t mean she liked it. She didn’t like that he was witnessing such confidential information, especially being a past threat. But Nick trusts him, and she has to back up her boss. 

“The lack of forensic evidence regarding the Mandarin is astounding,” Fury said, stoically as usual, beginning the meeting. “But we have reason to believe that we will need to launch a physical attack.”

He gestured to Tony, who, upon closer inspection, looked pretty disheveled. This was...unusual, as Tony always looked pretty put together.

“Happy was injured,” Tony grumbled, once again surprisingly lacking his usual energy. “At the TCL, in LA. He’s likely to be in a coma.”

Sofia was shocked. Happy? Injured? 

She now understood why Tony looked the way he did. 

“And we know it was the Mandarin?” Maria responded, also surprised. The look on her face indicated that she also didn’t know of Happy’s situation.

“It is,” Tony stated darkly. 

“So what do we do?” Sofia asked. She was scared, and was unnerved by Tony’s state. 

“Why not eliminate him?”

All heads swiveled to the end of the table. 

Loki was leaning back, his expression serious.

“What?” Maria said, her response a mix between surprised and angry.

“Eliminate him. If he’s a threat, why should he not be subdued?” 

“That’s not how we do things around here.”

Like a tennis match, all heads now turned to Sofia.

Sofia had no issue speaking at meetings. But she still couldn’t shake that unfortunately familiar feeling of uneasiness. 

“Why not?” Loki asked her, his eyebrows raised.

“We don’t just immediately end our enemies. It’s not the Avenger way.”

“Oh... the Avenger way?” Loki snarled arrogantly. He leaned forward on his elbows. “What is the Avenger way then?”

“She’s right.”

Tony. 

“She is,” Tony restated, standing up and walking towards Loki. “Our first defense isn’t to kill. Injure, yeah. Maybe seriously. But not...that.”

“We value intelligence over casualty,” said Fury, his voice firm.

“That...is the issue with you humans. And all of your emotions.” Loki stood up, flaring the last word. “This Mandarin is clearly a threat! He hurt your friend, and you don’t want vengeance?”

“No, Loki, that’s the issue with you!” Sofia also stood up, shoving her desk chair in, surprised at Loki’s sudden rise in temper. Now she really didn’t know what had gotten over her. But Loki attempting to undermine all of this was so infuriating to her she had to respond. “Anything bad, any threat, you just want to kill! Maybe that’s how they do it on Asgard or whatever, but we don’t do that here. Even if you attempted to.”

She was breathing heavily, glaring at Loki. He was calmer than Sofia, but anger flared in his eyes. 

“I am not here to explain my previous actions. I am here to help all of you, am I not?” Loki waved his hands, glaring everyone down. “I have thousands of years of experience with enemies. Defeat is needed to prove that you are the most powerful. To make your opposition know that fact; to shake them. That is how...Asgard...has held their dominance in the Nine Realms for all of this time.”

“We do need to make him nervous,” grumbled Tony, clearly annoyed that he was agreeing with Loki. “So he knows that we’re a threat. Make him reconsider bombing American soil.”

Loki gestured in an obvious manner. “Yes, Tony Stark, you understand.”

Sofia sighed. “So how do we do that?”

“I’ll do it,” Tony responded darkly. 

“How do you think he’ll do it?” Sofia asked Maria as they walked out of the meeting. After that confrontation with Loki, the conversation shifted slightly as to how to find out the Mandarin’s location.

“Not sure. I’m sure Nick will talk to him.”

As the two entered the lobby, Maria gestured to the basement. 

“Well...good luck. And make sure that you and...him...are on professional terms, please.”

Sofia sighed, and headed down to the basement. She knew that her demeanor towards Loki was unprecedented, and that Nick was probably unhappy with her. But she couldn’t help it. Everything he did bothered her.

Sofia braced herself as she swiped into the basement. She didn’t know if he was even there; if Loki would say anything or they would go back to their usual silence. But she knew she had to say something. For the sake of S.H.I.E.L.D. 

And when Sofia walked down the steps and did see Loki, lying back on his bed throwing up that goddamn ball, she rolled her eyes. 

Here goes talking to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi ok i hoped you liked that chapter if you could leave a comment or even a kudos that would mean so much i would love some feedback. as i mentioned in the beginning notes, i made some plot changes. the vast majority of them are just in my planning and haven't been written yet but not all of them!! they're in previous chapters and this chapter but I'll clarify and write a tldr below. 
> 
> subplot 1 - thor actually doesn't trust loki, and doesn't love that loki is on earth while he's on asgard. but thor trusts his mother, and needs to obey her.
> 
> subplot 2 - sofia returns from vacation at the very beginning. now, it's revealed that it was her mother's funeral. sofia also mentions the fact that her father left when she was young, and hasn't seen him in years. this will be furthered explained in a later chapter, but is a pretty important subplot regarding sofia. this is also a hint to the title (eyes).
> 
> subplot 3 - this is where my own universe blends into the actual mcu. s.h.i.e.l.d is focused on the mandarin, and enlists loki to help. this was just introduced but will be referenced more.
> 
> and that's it! once again, leave a comment or kudos i would love some feedback. enjoy! new chapter coming soon!


	7. training

God, Loki made Sofia so angry. Even seeing him annoyed her. 

But as much as she didn’t like him, she didn’t want tension, at least if they had to be working professionally. 

“Loki,” Sofia sighed, as she walked up to the box. “Are you good?”

The casualty of Sofia’s tone even surprised her. But casual is inevitable when working in such close quarters.

Loki took a minute to respond.

“Good?” He asked, sitting up. “Why would I not be ‘good?’”

When Sofia hesitated to answer, Loki just laughed cynically.

“You think I would not be ‘good’ because you disagreed with me? Because you publicly went against me?” 

“That’s not what I said. I just wanted to make sure you were --”

“You wanted to make sure I was okay.” Loki interrupted her, slowly standing up and walking towards the glass.

The two were now an inch apart, and would likely be touching if not for the glass. 

“Do not force yourself to check on me. Tell Hill that, too.” Loki stated darkly. He then promptly turned his back towards her.

Sofia was so infuriated. Loki made her so mad. 

She didn’t want to further reason with him. So she also turned, and walked towards her desk.

Just as she sat down, she received a message from Maria. 

Training now. Bring Loki. 

Sofia sighed. This was all so...inconvenient to her. She hated this.

But she had to stifle her pride. 

“Hey,” she muttered, turning back around. He was still faced away from her.

“Hey,” she repeated firmly, walking towards his room. “We have training now. I’ll bring you.”

He did not respond, but gestured towards the door. Sofia walked over and unlocked it.

Loki, still with his cuffs on, stepped out. 

They were now facing each other. Loki towered over her, looking down. Sofia, surprised by how close he got to her, took in a breath but was determined to not step back. She stared up back at him, not breaking her gaze.

But then Loki abruptly looked away, and in a low voice, said, “Are we going?”

Sofia scoffed and turned back around. 

“Yes.”

She led him out of the basement and to the training facility, attracting glances as they walked through the lobby. It was common knowledge that Loki was staying at the Triskelion, at least within S.H.I.E.L.D. But many people clearly have not seen him yet, as Sofia noticed many double takes.

She wondered how Loki felt about all of the stares. She stole a quick glance up at him, just to see that he was staring straight ahead, his face set. 

Before Sofia could react in any way, if she was even going to, the two approached the training facility. Sofia swiped them in.

All of the Avengers were there. Though Thor was unable to attend all Avengers trainings, as his main priority was Asgard, he was here this time. Assumably to keep an eye on Loki. 

But Sofia noticed Tony first, who looked...well, terrible. He was so pale, with wild hair and dark circles under his eyes. Sofia felt so bad. Tony was usually the glue of the Avengers, with a strong ability to blend humor with logic. His looking so down made Sofia feel down; she definitely did not realize the effect that Happy’s injury had on him. Sofia made a mental note to reach out to him.

“Sofia,” Fury called out once he spotted them, walking over. He looked at Loki, giving him a slight nod, which Loki did not return. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course,” Sofia replied, though confused. She was at all Avengers trainings, her presence wasn’t new. 

“Can I speak to him alone?” 

Sofia was yet again confused. But she nodded, and walked over to Maria, leaving the two men alone. 

“What are they doing?” Sofia asked Maria, who was looking down at something on a clipboard. 

But before she got a response, Thor walked over to Loki, unlocking his cuffs and having a quick word with Fury before speaking to Loki alone. After a few moments, Nick called everyone over.

“Today is going to be different,” he stated. “Loki here--” he gestured to Loki, who maintained a poker face. “---is going to show us some of his...abilities.”

Sofia couldn’t hold back the look on her face, which she assumed was a mix of shock and...excitement.

She knew that Loki was here to not only assist the Avengers, but show them some of his tricks. She knew that. But she still hadn’t seen any of his magical ability, as the majority of his training was focused on physical strength. None of them, other than Thor, had seen his magical ability other than when it was, well, aimed at them in New York. Sofia looked around, and sensed the similar apprehensiveness yet excitement. Thor had an unreadable look on his face, though his eyes darkened.

“Tony,” Fury stated. “We want to see how his abilities fare against your suit.”

“Okay,” Tony responded plainly. No wit, no nothing. Sofia really did not like his newfound demeanor.

Loki and Tony stepped into the ring as the rest of the team -- Natasha, Thor, Bruce, Steve, Clint, Maria, and Fury -- surrounded them. 

“Right now, we just want to see your defensive tactics,” Fury explained to Loki. “Then...explain.”

Without hesitation, maybe as to catch him off guard, Tony suited up his hand only and sent a blast at Loki. 

If that blast was directed at anyone else, it would knock them off their feet and probably give them a few bruises. But Loki was not anyone.

Seemingly even faster than Tony, with a flick of his hand, Loki sent the blast straight upward, knocking out a lightbulb. 

Tony seemed surprised, but quickly regained his composure and fully suited up. The look in his eyes was excitement, which Sofia saw. She smiled. At least his suit could maybe make him feel better.

Yet again, Tony sent two blasts at Loki, who once again flicked them to the side. Tony sent even more blasts at him, moving around and aiming them at different body parts with the same result. Loki was able to redirect the beams so effortlessly, as if he was swatting a fly away. He hadn’t even moved, and Sofia swore that she saw him yawn.

Tony looked angry, and when he sent his biggest blast yet, Sofia spotted a gleam of mischief in Loki’s eyes that immediately made her nervous. Instead of redirecting the blast to the lights or any other direction, he sent it back at Tony. 

It hit Tony square in the chest, and he was thrown back, falling against the ropes of the ring. 

“Loki!” Thor called out exasperatedly, rushing to the ring. “What are you doing?”

But as he looked over at Tony, Tony just held up a hand, as to indicate that he’s fine. He stood up, and stoically stated, “Loki. Can you explain how you just did what you did?”

“Being a God, I have sorcerer abilities,” Loki responded simply, though not as boredly as he had previously looked. “I am from the Nine Realms. Thus, I am able to redirect energy in any way I want.”

And then, Loki slightly waved his hand in Thor’s direction. Thor, clearly not expecting this, flew back as if hit by an invisible force, slamming into the wall.

Sofia’s eyes widened, and spotted that same gleam of mischief in Loki’s eyes

Thor looked angry enough to cause thunderstorms for eternity. Noticing, Steve quickly cleared his throat. “You can even do that in combat?” Steve asked./p> 

“Yes. But due to the fact that I am usually focused on offense in combat, other methods of defense are more effective.”

Thor shook his head. Loki remained stoic, but Sofia could tell that he liked the attention. He liked showing off his skills, to prove that he was more than the rest of them.

He then gestured to Clint. “Shoot one of your bows at me.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Clint muttered. He already had his bow out and fired a shot at Loki. 

Loki held up his hand, but instead of the arrow firing in a different direction, it simply disintegrated. 

“Extermination disallows the enemy to retrieve their devices. It also is more efficient in protecting me.”

“So it’s a shield.” Sofia was unable to not comment; as much as she disliked Loki, this was fascinating.

“Essentially.” Loki did not look at her. 

“How far can it extend?” Sofia furthered. “Could you protect others?”

“If they are next to me, yes.” Loki then turned to face Sofia, staring at her straight in the eyes. “Come. I will show you.”

Sofia immediately felt anxious. But Maria was encouraging her to go, so Sofia hesitantly stepped into the ring.

Once she walked up next to Loki, Loki turned away from her and gestured to Tony.

“Send another blast.”

Tony did, and once again, seemingly even quicker than Tony could shoot, Loki jumped into defensive mode faster. He grabbed Sofia by the waist, which startled her, and pulled her towards him. Sofia’s breath hitched and she felt...something.

With a flick of his hand, the blast just stopped in mid air. And from the inside, Sofia could see why. Loki was casting a protective shield, of light blue color, which surrounded the two like a bubble.

Once the shield disintegrated, Sofia realized the position they were in. Loki, his arm wrapped tightly around Sofia’s waist. And Sofia, one hand on Loki’s back and one on his chest. Like he was her superhero.

Loki unraveled his arm around Sofia’s waist, who quickly took a step to the side.

She was disgusted. Disgusted that Loki had touched her, and also at the feeling she had when Loki strongly grabbed her. She didn’t even want to think about what that feeling was.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to dwell. Because all of the other Avengers, who had broken their hard demeanor, looked amazed, peppering Loki with questions. 

Sofia stumbled out of the ring, in a daze. She did not like this feeling.

But training wasn’t over. As prompted by the Avengers, Loki began to show off more of his abilities, especially showing his strength. 

“Our flesh and bones are three times denser than humans," he explained. "We can withstand much more.”

To prove this, he invited Steve to come into the ring. Though Steve was bigger, Loki was able to easily overpower him. 

Loki also explained his mind-altering abilities, and did not respond when Clint angrily interjected regarding his own mind-altering at the hands of Loki.

But the most fascinating of all was how Loki was able to move his body. At this point, he invited Natasha, Bruce, and Maria into the ring. Though they had all tried to pin him down, they couldn’t even touch him. He was able to easily transport all over the ring, and at one point even produced the illusion of multiple Loki’s, who each fought against a different person while the real Loki just watched amused.

It was a bizarre sight, three Loki’s fighting the Avengers. But it was necessary to see if Loki was going to assist them. 

“I would be able to show you more,” Loki remarked as he stood in the ring. Every other Avenger, who had had a chance to fight individually with him, was panting. “But I believe you still have my scepter.”

“You’ll get it back if you need it,” Nick said gruffly. Out of the corner of her eye, Sofia spotted a concerned look on Thor’s face.

After training, Thor offered to walk Loki back, as he clearly wanted to speak to his brother alone. Sofia decided to take this chance to speak to Tony in private, as his excitement from fighting Loki had quickly decimated.

“Tony,” Sofia called out, rushing up to Tony. Tony was sitting on the bench, wiping his forehead with a tower. Up close, he looked even worse. Her voice softened. “How are you doing?”

“I’m flying back to Malibu in an hour. I’m going to check in on Happy. So we’ll see then.”

The usual humor and teasing were absent from Tony’s voice, which worried Sofia. But at least he had something to do.

“Let me know how he is.” Sofia could tell that Tony did not want to talk. “We love you Tony, okay? We’re here for you.”

Tony just nodded and stepped outside. 

Sofia felt bad for Tony. She wanted to keep him in her sight, but that was clearly not plausible. 

On her way back to her office to retrieve her things for the day, she surprisingly ran into Thor.

“Sofia,” Thor spoke, as more of an acknowledgment than anything else. Sofia would usually have responded with a simple acknowledgment, and they would have gone their separate ways. But then Thor stopped in his path, prompting Sofia to stop as well.

“I see you’ve been spending some time with Loki.”

Sofia felt her cheeks grow hot.

“Well, my office was moved to the basement where he is. So I see him more than most people. But I wouldn’t define it as spending more time together.”

Thor nodded. 

“Just be careful.”

And as he turned to walk away, Sofia couldn’t help herself.

“Do you trust him?” She called out. Thor paused, and slowly turned around.

“My mother does.”

And with that, Thor gave Sofia a slight parting smile, and walked away.

Sofia was stuck. She was stuck on her feelings about Loki, and even to him, though she didn’t want to dwell on it. He of course made her angry, and was a huge inconvenience. But something about seeing him use his powers, his grip on her waist…

No. Sofia refused to think about it. The day was over, and she just wanted a break.

Though Sofia used to have an apartment just downtown, she had recently been presented with a suite in the Triskelion, as all-important officials are. It was supposed to be just if she needed to stay overnight, but since her lease was ending anyway, she had permanently moved in. 

And honestly, Sofia liked it. It was in a separate part of the building, so she was able to release herself from work, and the suite was honestly much nicer and bigger than her old one. And she didn’t even have to pay for it, she just had some of it taken out of her paycheck.

After a few hours consisting of dinner and finishing up some work, Sofia was so exhausted, so she fell asleep right as she crawled into bed. She was looking forward to a good night's sleep.

A good night's sleep...that was interrupted, a few hours later. Interrupted by the incessant ringing of the S.H.I.E.L.D phone in her room.

Sofia immediately felt her heart drop. All suites have their own phone provided by S.H.I.E.L.D, but are only used in dire emergencies. Sofia had only heard the phone ring one other time, and that was when Loki had arrived on Earth.

After shooting a glance at her alarm clock, which showed 3:49 am, she shot up and practically leaped over to the phone.

“Sofia.” It was Maria. “You need to come to Fury’s office. Now.”

Sofia didn’t even bother to get dressed. She couldn’t. She was wide awake now.

She got a chance to look at herself in the mirror of the elevator, on her way to Fury’s office. God, she looked ridiculous. Messy hair, ratty pajama shorts, an oversized T-shirt. She was embarrassed to look this way in front of her colleagues. But she had no time to change.

Once she entered Fury’s office, she was relieved to see Maria in night clothes too, though she was in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Fury was dressed as usual. Sofia had a theory that he never slept. They were both standing, looking stressed.

But their appearance wasn’t that important right now. Maria and Fury both looked distressed, which was even more jarring coming from Nick.

“Tony has..” Fury angrily took in a breath. “Leaked his address. To the Mandarin.”

“What?” Sofia exclaimed. 

“This was from just a few hours ago,” Maria said grimly, as she pointed the remote to the TV.

On the screen was a grainy, cell-phone recording, but Sofia was able to make out Tony, leaving a hospital (presumably to visit Happy), getting heckled by reporters. He was peppered with questions about the Mandarin, and was actually handling it pretty well, pushing dark shades up his nose and frankly ignoring everyone. 

That was until Tony snapped, turning to a reporter and calling the Mandarin a coward, before…stating his own address, challenging the Mandarin to come get him. 

Sofia audibly gasped. She didn’t even know his address in Malibu. Now, the whole world knew.

“Why would he do that?” She exclaimed, wildly looking around. Maria and Fury were still, but couldn’t hide the anger on their faces. “Won’t the Mandarin attack him now? Couldn’t anyone?”

“He’s arrogant, that’s why,” Fury spat. “He lets his pride get the best of him, even at the jeopardy of his safety.”

“Not just anyone could attack Tony; his house is one of the most secure in the country. But we can’t rule out the Mandarin. Clearly, we don’t know what he’s capable of.”

Sofia was silent for a moment, taking everything in.

She admired Tony, and trusted him. But God, he put himself, and everyone around him, at risk sometimes.

“We need you to go to Malibu. Now. Check-in on Tony, and make sure that he’s okay,” Maria explained. “See there haven’t been any attacks.”

“And if there are, or if there will be, you’ll be prepared. You’ll be going with Loki.”

Sofia’s heart dropped. No. She couldn’t, she wasn’t going to assist Tony Stark alone with...Loki.

“Maria, why can’t you go with him? Or can’t I go with Thor? I-”

“Thor is back on Asgard,” Maria responded, looking away from Sofia. “And I...need to stay here. To access our online surveillance. You’re just as trained as any of us, Sofia. And besides, you’ve spent more time with Loki. We need him to show us how he can really help us in action. We’ll be keeping an eye on you two.”

Sofia tried to further protest, but the decision was final. Sofia would be going to Malibu, to check in on Tony, with Loki.

Once Sofia quickly changed into her combat uniform, the same one that all of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents had (Maria was right, she was practically a S.H.I.E.L.D agent), she begrudgingly went to the lobby to meet Maria and Fury.

Loki was there too, standing with them and quietly listening. He, as usual, had an unreadable look on his face. Sofia wondered how he was feeling about this.

“The jet is fully equipped with weaponry, all that you’re cleared to use,” Fury gestured to Sofia as they all walked out onto the tarmac. It was still dark out, but the giant S.H.I.E.L.D jet was up and running, waiting for them.

“And you.” Fury turned to Loki once they reached the steps to the jet. Sofia noticed that he was not wearing his usual cuffs. The two men were the same height, so there was no towering over, no intimidation.

“If you do anything,” Fury jabbed his finger in Loki’s face. “To endanger Sofia, Tony, or any civilians, I promise that we’re going to send your ass back to Asgard and give you that ‘banishment to the dungeons’ punishment that your mother was talking about. Got it?”

Loki just nodded, his face set.

“Just show us what you got. If needed.”

But it didn’t matter if she could. 

She had to. 

Sofia sighed, once again bracing herself to speak to Loki. But to her surprise, before she could, before she could even turn to him…

Loki spoke first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just made a huuuuge change to my plans which completely alters the rest of the story but im so excited B) note that i changed my description to reflect that this story takes place after the avengers up until age of ultron! also i finished watching all of the mcu movies im sad. but anyway, leave a comment if you like, i love feedback so much!
> 
> also, follow me on twitter if you like @/guLLttrippLngs 
> 
> I'm going to try to post once a week but if you see me tweeting and not posting don't hate >:( 
> 
> enjoy!


	8. outstretched

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i TOLD y'all i would be posting weekly!!!! enjoy!!

Sofia heard Loki slightly inhale a second before speaking, and froze before he actually spoke. 

“Do you know how to use those?”

Sofia let out a breath. She didn’t think she was as bothered by Loki anymore. She didn’t know why she was so on edge.

“What?” She responded, once she managed to compose herself.

She did finally turn to him, and saw Loki gesturing towards the row of machine guns.

Ah.

Sofia cleared her throat. “Yes. We’re all trained to be able to use S.H.I.E.L.D weapons.”

“So what do you even do?” Loki interrupted, his chin resting on his palm.

Sofia opened her mouth to respond, but Loki continued.

“What is your title?”

“Officially? Receptionist. But I have the same skills as the agents,” Sofia snapped back. She didn’t like Loki’s questioning. “Why do you care?”

“Well,” Loki remarked, leaning forward. “I wanted to know why you were qualified to go on this mission. And also why you spend so much time around the Avengers.”

Why did he care?

“Because it’s my job,” Sofia retorted. “I’m not doing this on free will.”

“Ah.” Loki’s eyes lit up mischievously. “So you don’t want to be here? You feel forced?”

Sofia didn’t even respond. 

“Now you understand how I feel.”

Then, Loki turned away, signaling an end to the conversation.

Sofia was noticing a pattern. Loki would say something bothersome, then end the conversation before Sofia could even fire back.

Thankfully, they sat in silence until they landed. The two didn’t even need to go into the airport; they met a car on the tarmac and quickly piled themselves and their weapons in.

They rode to Tony’s house in silence, until Sofia, having enough, pulled down the blocker between the backseat and front seat and abruptly turned to Loki.

“So you know why we’re here?”

Loki’s lip curled. “Yes.”

Sofia continued. “We’re here to help protect Tony Stark, IF he needs it. So don’t be doing...what you do… unless needed.”

Loki did not respond, just turned away smugly.

How was Sofia going to deal with him?

Once they arrived at Tony’s house and got through the gate, Sofia knocked on the door. To her surprise, Pepper Potts opened the door.

“Pepper!” Sofia exclaimed. She leaned in for a hug, pointedly blocking Loki. “How are you?”

“Good,” Pepper said exasperatedly. “Come in.”

Pepper glared at Loki, who didn’t seem to notice.

Once Pepper closed the door behind them, Sofia finally noticed Tony, who was standing in the foyer and looked better, even though it was only a few hours since they'd seen each other. Tony gave a curt nod to Loki, who returned it. However, Tony and Pepper were clearly in the middle of a conversation.

“I don’t even know why Nick would send you here,” Tony remarked, as he lead them through the house to a space to put their bags down.

‘Because you leaked your address that’s why!” Sofia cried out, her nerves and frustration getting the best of her. “Honestly Tony, why would you do that?”

“I think it was a very noble thing to do.”

Loki. He finally spoke.

Sofia and Tony both turned to Loki. A surprised look flickered on Tony’s face, but was gone just as fast as Sofia spotted it. 

“Why?” Sofia snapped.

“It shows that he is strong. That he is to be taken seriously.”

“You know, I never thought that I would agree with someone who tried to kill me,” Tony responded, a smirk on his face. “But you've proven me wrong.”

“Tony, you’re putting yourself in danger!” Sofia didn’t acknowledge Tony’s comment. “Who knows if the Mandarin will attack?”

“That’s not the point Sofia. My point was...well, he already explained.”

Tony gestured to Loki. 

Sofia was about to respond, she really was, about to fight back and probably snap at Loki in the process, when Pepper walked over to them.

“Do you guys want something to drink?”

In a bizarre sight, Sofia, Tony, Pepper, and fucking Loki gathered in the living room. Pepper and Tony were drinking wine, but knowing that she was on the job, Sofia was just sipping from some water. Loki had refused a drink, though had been strangely polite to Pepper.

Pepper flipped on the television, conveniently to a news program talking about Tony leaking his address. Tony just grumbled, waving a hand at the television.

But that was until they showed an exterior shot of his house. Peering closer, Sofia saw a stream of what seemed to be air heading towards his house.

She realized it just a second before it happened.

“Everybody, get down!”

The window blasted apart, glass flying everywhere.

It was a gunship helicopter. And there were multiple.

Sofia grabbed Tony and pulled him down, rubble everywhere. She conveniently had one of the guns strapped to her back, and reached back to grab it, shooting it at the helicopters. But it was no use. They kept coming, and kept shooting at the house, debris and glass and dust flying everywhere, the sound of gunshots echoing and following each other that Sofia didn’t even know which were real.

Tony attempted to get up, wrestling his hand out of Sofia’s grip. His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth. But before he could say anything--

He was hit. By a huge rock, throwing him back and pinning him against the wall.

Sofia rushed over to Tony, shocked. What she had feared most had happened. Tony was attacked.

Sofia attempted to pry off the rock, but she couldn't. It was just too heavy.

“Puhpuh…”

“What?” 

Tony was attempting to say something. Sofia leaned in closer. 

“Pepper.”

Right as she turned to Pepper, Tony suited up, throwing the rock off of him. 

“JARVIS, where’s Pepper?”

“Pepper is alive, sir. But she is caught under the rubble.”

Tony sprinted across his destroyed house, his head darting back and forth, looking for Pepper.

Sofia kneeled behind a big rock, continuing to fire at the gunshots. They were holding them back a little, when hit on target, but not enough to protect them.

She then remembered. 

“Loki!” Sofia rushed after Tony. She didn’t care about how she felt about Loki now. She just needed to find him. God, she hoped he was still here and didn't flee or harm anyone...

She ran up next to Tony, who was firing blasts back at the helicopters and simultaneously shielding himself.

Then she saw it. Loki, standing in front of Pepper, using two hands to shield them. Loki was biting his lip in concentration and Sofia could see beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. Gunshots and debris bounced off of Loki’s shield as if it was a wall.

“Listen,” Loki called out steadily, sounding out of breath as he spotted him. “I am going to divert the helicopters. That means I need to break the shield. You will need to grab her.”

“Go!” Tony yelled out, swooping in and grabbing Pepper right as Loki leaped towards the windows. 

Sofia mindlessly chased after him. 

“Loki,” she yelled, tripping over rocks and gripping onto her gun. “What are you doing?”

“Stay back!” He roared, whirling around and Sofia caught a glimpse of...protectiveness in his eye. 

She was startled, so she did, kneeling behind another rock. Tony was shielding Pepper, his arms outstretched, while sending blasts outside.

Sofia’s vision was blocked, but she was able to see Loki standing outside, his two arms outstretched against the helicopters, which were...blocking their shots. She noticed it, the muffled sound, the slow of gunshots.

Loki then waved his right hand to the right. Two helicopters slammed into each other, plummeting to the water. He then swung the same hand across his body to the left, sending the rest of the helicopters down.

But there was one more. A bigger helicopter, firing even more. Loki held his left hand out, about to blast it down--

When a blast came from behind him. It was Tony, using all of his strength to send that final blast.

And then, there was quiet.

“Tony,” Sofia rushed over to him, who had slumped against the wall. “Are you okay?”

Tony opened his face mask, showing off his bruised, bloodied face. “I’m okay,” he croaked.  
Sofia then turned to Pepper. She actually looked okay, with just a cut on her lip and a bruise underneath her eye. Sofia didn’t even know how she looked. Her ankle hurt; she must’ve twisted it while tripping. But otherwise, she felt okay. 

Sofia pulled out some ointment from her utility belt, gently applying it to Pepper’s face. She then gave some to Tony, who used most of it on Pepper.

But Sofia felt that same jolt in her again.

Loki.

She rushed outside. Loki was sitting against the ruined wall, breathing hard but otherwise looking okay. 

“Are you okay?” She knelt down, face to face with Loki, and without realizing it, cupping his face. 

And then, realizing her position, dropped her hands. Loki, who had been looking down, finally looked up.

“Yes,” He breathed. “I am okay.” After a pause, he asked, “Are you?”

Sofia was incredulous. “Yes! But I can’t believe you did that, that was...” she trailed off

Loki just gave her a small nod, stood up and walked over to Pepper and Tony, who was still applying the ointment to Pepper’s face, speaking quietly.

Before anyone could say anything, he placed a hand to both of their faces.

“This might sting.”

Loki’s hands then began to slightly glow, and after a moment, he pulled them away.

Tony and Pepper’s faces looked clean, bright, and healthy. 

Loki and Sofia left the next day, after Loki used his illusionist abilities to completely clean up the house, and a night of restless sleep. 

Right as they were about to climb into the car to take them back to the airport, Tony stopped them outside. 

“Hey.”

He embraced Sofia, who hugged him back.

Tony then turned to Loki, stared at him for a second, and then shook his hand.

They stared at each other for a moment, until Tony just curtly nodded. He turned back and walked into his house, looking as good as new. .

It was unusual for Tony to say something without an added comment, a snark, some of that distinct Tony flair. 

But he did.

Loki, however, had said nothing. He looked poker, as usual.

After repairing Tony’s house the night before, Loki just nodded, and went up to the room provided to him. No other emotion, at all. So opposite from his tenacity the night before.` 

After the very long and quiet car ride, once Loki and Sofia boarded the plane back to Washington DC, she finally had time to think, to acknowledge what she was feeling.

Sofia felt...weird, at first. Uncomfortable, but not fully with Loki. Moreso with herself.

Her mindset on Loki had changed, since she experienced that type of event with him. And that mental shift had happened to her before, with the Avengers, which was throwing her off even more.

When Sofia started working for SHIELD, Tony Stark had already revealed that he was Iron Man, and SHIELD was aware of, but not too familiar with Thor. Steve Rogers had just been beginning to assimilate to present life. Sofia remembered seeing on the news that an old war hero, Captain America, was uncovered from the ice after 70 years. She was hired not long after.

Though Sofia had been with the Avengers since the beginning, it didn’t mean that she liked all of them when she first joined as much as she did now. She respected Tony, a lot, but found him to be arrogant and selfish and difficult to connect with. Steve was polite enough, but Clint was pretty reserved and didn’t seem that open to conversation. She barely even talked to him. She didn’t meet Bruce until Natasha had found him, and Thor was...well, different. A lot to get used to. Natasha was the only person she had connected with prior to Loki’s invasion, and even that was solely professional at the time.

But now? Well, the Avengers Initiative really forced the whole team to spend much more time together. So they had to get comfortable and even friendly. But when Loki invaded and the Battle of New York commenced, Sofia worked and fought alongside all of them, though she was mostly holding everything down at SHIELD and dealing with the government. They were all mentally and physically broken, and really had to hold each other up during that time. And since then, since experiencing such a strenuous time together and getting through it, they had been close.

Seemingly just like that.

But the point of Sofia’s reflection was to explain why she felt...softer towards Loki now. More open. Like the Avengers, she had experienced combat and a strenuous situation with him. He basically saved her, and Tony, and Pepper. Which really surprised her.

Up until now, Sofia had hated Loki being there. She was so used to him being a threat, the biggest threat, that having him as a close ally made her so uncomfortable. She was sure that he would take advantage of them and betray them.

But...he didn’t.

Clearly he was stronger than everyone else; he had proven that in training and at Tony’s house. So he easily could’ve overpowered them back in Malibu, especially due to Tony’s weakened state. He could’ve...done anything and just left. He could've killed them all if he wanted to.

But he didn’t. He saved them and was on his way back to the Triskelion, seemingly willingly.

Sofia still did question his intentions. But she felt a little better. 

Maybe Loki could be an asset to the Avengers.

But right now?

Sofia snapped out of her haze and looked at Loki. He was lounging back, his eyes closed.

Once again, he looked so...peaceful. His hair was slightly messy, which was comical, as his composure was usually so...stoic.

She wouldn’t disturb him. Not right now.

She had to, though, when the plane landed. A few days ago, she would’ve loved to bother him by waking him up, to get back at him for being such an inconvenience.

But now? She almost wanted him to stay as peaceful as he was.

But when Sofia looked out the window and saw Fury and Maria on the tarmac, she knew she really had to.

Sofia walked over and lightly placed a hand on Loki’s shoulder.

But before she could say anything, his eyes shot open. Maybe it was that inhuman intuition.

Sofia jumped, and was taken aback. His eyes were so blue…

What was she doing?

“Hey,” she said softly, regaining her composure. “We’re here.”

Loki just nodded, as usual. But as Sofia went to get her luggage, she heard Loki clearly his throat.

“Thank you.”

Huh. Maybe this was a new chapter.


	9. fathers

Sofia had decided that she would thank Loki the next time she saw him. She did already thank him, in Malibu, but that was amidst so much chaos that it didn’t really resonate.

In the back of her mind, she knew that she really just wanted an excuse to talk to him. But she refused to acknowledge it and shoved that thought down.

Unfortunately, she never really got time alone with Loki. She saw him, a lot more than usual actually, because there were days of long meetings they both had to endure and participate in about what happened in Malibu. She actually...enjoyed it though. She liked contributing to SHIELD needs and also enjoyed hearing Loki actually speak…

God. Okay, so she was starting to warm up to Loki. Maybe she liked hearing him speak and liked looking at him...

GOD. She was just a little entranced, that’s all. She had reverted slightly and liked the fact that he protected them. That was it. She was giving him some saviours complex or something.

That’s it.

But still, she couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed when the days passed and she never had a moment alone with him, even though she still worked in the basement.

That was until about a week later, when Sofia, done with the recap meetings, was back to spending her time working in the basement. Loki was still gone, as he was likely still in meetings and probably individualized training. Until...he came back. Still flanked by guards, but surprisingly without cuffs.

Maybe SHIELD had warmed up to him too.

But once the guards left, after taking a few short breaths, Sofia finally spoke.

“Hey.”

She walked over to Loki. He looked over.

“What’s up?” She trailed, trying to remain cool. 

“What is ‘up?’ What do you mean?”

Sofia paused for a moment, trying to see if Loki was trying to fuck with her, then determining that he probably wasn’t and just wasn't familiar with Earth lingo.

“How are you?”

“Fine.”

Now it was Loki’s time to pause.

“Why?” he continued.

Sofia didn’t think it would be this awkward. 

“I just wanted to thank you. For...helping us at Tony’s house. It was really appreciated.”

Loki just nodded in response, as fucking usual, and then looked down. Sofia was a little disappointed. She expected a better reaction from him. 

Well...not expected. Maybe just wanted. But she would never admit that.

She decided to push a little harder.

“It was pretty amazing, to be honest.”

Sofia bit her lip in anxiousness, awaiting his reaction.

He looked up again.

“Why do you think that?”

Ah. The start of a conversation. Or maybe just an ego boost.

But Sofia didn’t mind complimenting him, at least a little. It was well deserved for now.

“I mean, I had never seen something like that before. At least not until training.”

“Training,” Loki retorted. “Right.”

Sofia felt awkward, but continued. 

“It’s good that you have those skills. We...SHIELD... really do acknowledge that.”

“I trained for these skills,” Loki responded stoically. “I was not born with them.”

“Do all Asgardians train for their skills?” Sofia asked. She was interested, yes, and also wanted to keep talking. She cringed at herself, and how desperate she seemed, but also tried to ignore that as she focused on Loki. He was answering plainly, but not rudely as usual.

“I am not Asgardian,” Loki snapped. But when their eyes met, Sofia swore that she could’ve seen them soften. 

“I am a Jotun, from Jotunheim,” Loki said, his tone lighter. “It is one of the nine realms. Asgard is another.”

“But don’t you live on-” 

“I am adopted. Thor is not my blood brother. Odin and Frigga are not my biological parents.”

Loki took a breath and continued.

“Laufey, the ruler of the Frost Giants in Jotunheim, is my father. He abandoned me in war as a baby and left me to die. Odin found me, brought me to Asgard, and raised me.”

Sofia thought she knew Thor, and maybe she did. Clearly, she had assumed that knowing Thor meant that she knew all about Loki, as this was news to her. 

“Oh, that’s nice-”

“No.” Loki interrupted Sofia. “It was a political ploy. It was not Odin...being nice.”

Sofia didn’t know how to respond. But she also was pleasantly surprised that Loki would share such personal information like this. 

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Sofia finally responded. Loki didn’t look at her. 

Sofia took a deep breath. If Loki was going to open up, even slightly, so should she.

“I...well...had some...issues with my father too.”

Loki made eye contact. Sofia felt uncomfortable, as if Loki would interject. But he did not.

“My father left when I was young. He just left my mom a note saying he needed to go back to his roots, whatever that fucking meant. And then he was gone. And it emotionally destroyed my mom, I mean, she was never the same after that. I love my mom of course, but she didn’t really raise me. My father leaving has been the reason for basically every bad thing that has happened to us, or me.”

Fuck. She had been rambling. She didn’t mean to, and noticed that she was looking down. She didn’t even want to look at Loki; he had probably mentally clocked out by now. But when Sofia finally brought herself to look up him at, she was surprised to see that he...hadn’t clocked out. In fact, he was looking at her pretty intently, his expression open.

Huh. She wasn’t expecting that. 

“Have you seen him since then?” Loki asked, surprising Sofia again.

She was taken aback for a moment, but then responded.

“A few times. But not for a while. It’s been a few years. But when I would see him, it was always rushed, like he had to go somewhere. It just felt kind of...off.”

Before Loki could say anything, if he was even going to, Sofia continued. 

“He’s always a part of me, though, even though I don’t want him to be. My full name is actually SofiaHena Varland. Hena after my father, Henry. But I don’t go by that.”

“Hmmm…” Loki mused. 

Neither of them said anything for a moment, until Loki spoke up. 

“That must’ve been hard for you.”

For the next few days, while Sofia was working with Loki in the room, they sat in comfortable silence, occasionally even talking about mundane things like the SHIELD elevators.

It was nice, and Sofia had to admit that she kind of liked their banter. They were lighter with each other, and Sofia felt more comfortable. 

Wow. She really went from despising him, really hating him, to enjoying his presence. And she didn’t know how he felt about all of this, but assumed that he didn’t...mind it, as he would sometimes initiate conversation, but not as often. What an interesting turn of events.

But Sofia was conflicted. Okay, she wasn’t going to deny that she liked Loki and liked talking to him, even if she refused to acknowledge other ways he made her feel. But she was also...nervous, a feeling that always fluctuated with him. She felt more comfortable because they were talking more, but more nervous at the same time. He was such a major enemy, after all, even if not anymore. And Sofia couldn’t forget the amount of stress she endured because of him.

It was complicated. But Sofia wasn’t swearing Loki off just yet.

A few days later, Maria caught Sofia in an elevator, looking excited.

“Good news!” she exclaimed, squished between two agents. “Maintenance fixed your office. It’s leak-free now. You can move back.”

“Really?” Sofia responded, though dejectedly. She had enjoyed working alongside Loki; she liked the company. And she felt like she was finally getting through to him, not yet, but starting to at least. Maria was right, he was a good ally to have, professionally and personally. 

Once she went back to her office, sadly, Loki was already there, sitting in his room. Avoiding his gaze, Sofia grabbed a spare box and started to pack her stuff up. She didn’t expect Loki to notice, or to even say anything...but he did.

“What are you doing?” he asked. 

“Uh, my real office is fixed. I can work up there now.”

“Really?” Loki responded.

Sofia hesitated for a moment, but then turned, facing him. 

“Yeah,” she sighed, hoping that he could see the well, regret? negativity? disappointment? in her eyes.

He might’ve, but she wasn’t sure. Because he just responded with an “ah” and slumped down. Sofia continued to pack up her things, finished, and headed towards the stairs. She glanced at the basement with a sigh, and called out, “I’ll see you later, I guess.”

“It’s a pity,” Loki spoke. 

Sofia felt a curious yet slightly happy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Why’s that?” she responded, walking back to him. 

Loki just shrugged. 

“You were nice company.”

Nice company. God, Sofia was fucking red and blushy as she left the basement and headed back up to her office. It wasn’t even a compliment, not really, but it was to Sofia. 

Her opinion on him had really changed, huh. And maybe his opinion on her had changed as well. 

She didn’t want to admit it, as she still tried to convince herself that she needed to be hard and not vulnerable, but she knew. 

She would miss working alongside him.

But Sofia needn’t have missed him. She would be seeing him a lot, much more than she would think.

But would that really be a good thing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long! i'm being serious about weekly updates lol i just had some writers block. enjoy! and make sure to look out for the next chapter :D


	10. probing

Ever since Sofia returned to work in her old office, she couldn’t stop thinking of Loki. The work day was definitely different without him. He was annoying and bothersome sometimes, but he could be nice company, especially once they settled into their quiet, occasionally talking routine.

But Sofia was much more productive when working in her office. And work was the most important thing, so she tried to push the thought of Loki out of her mind. 

Someone else had been in charge of organizing the next team dinner, so Sofia absentmindedly got ready that night. She didn’t want to think about Loki. She just wanted to be with her team.

In the car on the way there, she fiddled with her rings, nervous, though she didn’t want to address why. Was she too dressed up? She had been to many of these dinners before, and knew the dress code, and yet...maybe she used this as an excuse to wear a little more makeup than usual. Her dark brown hair was smooth and her hazel eyes lined with dark liner. She thought she looked good...but her looks shouldn’t even matter right now...right? It’s not like she was trying to impress anyone...

Sofia tried to clear her mind before walking into the restaurant, taking a few deep breaths and trying to think of anything but Loki. Finally, Sofia flashed her ID to the security guards and walked in.

As expected, everyone was already sitting around the table, engaged in conversation. Bruce was talking to Natasha, Thor was lowly muttering to Clint, Loki scowling on the other side of him. Tony, to Sofia’s disappointment, was missing, probably still in Malibu. Sofia quietly slipped into a chair next to Clint, who was sitting next to Thor, trying not to draw attention to herself as she was pretty late. 

She failed. Because Fury, upon spotting her, loudly boomed, “Sofia! You made it!”

That caused everyone to turn and look at her. Sofia looked down, blushing. Fury was teasing, of course, but she was still uncomfortable with all of the eyes looking at her.

Especially Loki. She peered at him from the corner of her eye, and saw him glance at her before quickly looking away.

She didn’t know how that made her feel.

Dinner was normal. She drank some wine and talked a little to everyone, from Fury to Bruce to Steve, but avoided Thor, looking straight ahead most times. She didn’t want to confront why.

But then, Clint got up to use the bathroom, which meant that the previously occupied space between her and Thor was now empty.

Sofia, feeling the need to fill the awkward space and also maybe wanting to, sighed, poured herself another glass of wine, tried to push down her anxiety, and turned to Thor.

“Thor,” she attempted to smile as he turned to her. “How are things on Asgard?”

“They are...as usual,” Thor responded, looking shifty. But then he leaned in.

“It is not great,” he admitted in a whisper. “Things have been...intense between Frigga and Odin. Odin--”

“Wishes me to be imprisoned in his dungeons for eternity so he can have full watch over me, I am aware of this, brother, you don’t need to whisper.”

Loki had leaned over and joined the conversation. Inevitable, because he was sitting right next to Thor, but unnerving nonetheless. Sofia saw that he had an exasperated yet....prankish look on his face, so she tried to not look so intimidated. 

“It is inappropriate to discuss family matters at full volume, brother, as you should know.” Thor responded. He tried to keep an even, unwavering tone, but Sofia could detect irritation in his voice. 

“You are the one who offered information in the first place, did you not?” Loki asked, his eyes flashing. Sofia held her breath, unsure. She didn’t want to get involved in this conflict between the Gods, yet she was glued to her seat. But upon seeing the surprisingly annoyed look on Thor’s face, instead of an outright angry one, Sofia decided that this wasn’t a family fight and Loki was likely just trying to antagonize. 

When Thor didn’t answer, Loki addressed Sofia directly. 

“Did he not?”

They made eye contact, and Sofia flinched. God, she liked Loki and was flattered by him but couldn’t shake that occasional skittish feeling. 

But she had stood up to him many times before, and had even clashed with him on numerous occasions, so she didn’t want her newfound feelings or whatever to change that. But still, Sofia didn’t know why he was being so confrontational. He had spoken up in trainings and meetings, and they did have their banter but he was mostly sullen and silent. 

Nevertheless, Sofia attempted to steady her voice.

“I was the one who asked him,” Sofia scoffed. “He was just answering my question.”

Loki’s lip curled. But he didn’t respond; just maintained eye contact with Sofia for a few moments. Sofia held her ground, glowering back at him, until Loki broke their staring contest upon hearing Fury call him over.

Once Loki got up, Sofia let out a breath and took a big gulp of wine. Thor’s eyes followed Loki as the two men went outside. A few moments later, Thor let out a breath too.

“It is difficult to be present on Asgard now,” resumed Thor slowly, leaning back. “Loki’s presence on Midgard is causing a lot of tension between Frigga and Odin, as I said. Odin, as...Loki said, wants to imprison my brother for his crimes against Midgard. Frigga is more sympathetic.”

“It was her idea to put Loki on Earth, right?” Sofia asked, intrigued. She liked getting this background information on Loki. It’s not like he would ever tell her. She was surprised that even Thor was being so candid about his family matters. 

Thor nodded. “Much to the dismay of Odin and Midgard. But Frigga has a...soft spot for Loki, and did it for his benefit.”

Sofia was silent. It was interesting to learn about Asgard. Sofia didn’t know anything of his realm. She then spoke up.

“Where do you think he should be?”

For the first time, Thor looked slightly startled. 

“What?”

Sofia was subsequently taken aback by Thor’s reaction. But she asked again.

“Where would you want him to be? Or...where do you think he should be? On Asgard or Earth?”

Thor paused, but Sofia suspected that it wasn’t because he needed to think of his answer. He needed to think of how to word it. 

“Loki should be where Odin and Frigga see best fit,” Thor responded carefully. “But I think that keeping him on Asgard would be...reassuring.”

Before Sofia could press him more, Clint returned and sat down, blocking her view from Thor.

The rest of the dinner was as normal. When Loki and Fury returned, she caught Loki’s eye, and was surprised to see a smirk tugging at his lips, not a reaction she would’ve expected from him after a meeting with Fury.

When Maria asked Sofia if she could walk Loki back, Sofia quickly responded yes and ignored Maria’s knowing smile.

When everyone got up to leave, Sofia finished her glass of wine and made her way over to Loki. 

“Let’s walk ahead,” she murmured to him, once again trying to mask her intimidation. 

Intimidated. That was a more appropriate adjective to describe her feelings towards him. It wasn’t that she was nervous all the time, yeah she was sometimes but that wasn’t the right way to describe it. Sometimes she was flustered, but intimidated was a better way to describe her feelings. He was scary, and yes, Sofia had taken a liking to him but she didn’t forget his crimes against Midgard, the way everyone not only at SHIELD but on Midgard was terrified of him and what he would do. She liked him and maybe he made her a little flustered, but her guard wasn’t fully let down.

Not yet.

Loki surprisingly didn’t protest and walked alongside her. Sofia could see everyone else stepping into black Audi’s out of the corner of her eye. She also saw two security guards trail them. She hoped Loki wouldn’t question why they were the only ones walking. 

And he didn’t. They walked in silence for a few moments until Sofia decided to speak.

“So what did Fury want to talk to you about?” Sofia asked carefully, not knowing if Loki would answer.

“My living accommodations are being changed. I will be moved to the suites.”

Sofia didn’t even acknowledge the fact that she also lived in the suites, which meant that they would be living in the same complex. She assumed that SHIELD had begun to trust Loki more, which made her feel as nervous as she did relieved. At least she wasn’t the only one warming up to him. Sofia quickly responded.

“Are you...happy with that?”

“It is spacious,” Loki responded ambiguously. “And private.”

“Private?” Sofia scoffed. “Didn’t you have enough privacy in your last room?”

“Yes,” Loki replied, an amused tone to his voice. “But not always. You were there sometimes, remember?”

“Of course I remember,” Sofia blurted out, then quickly widened her eyes, embarrassed at how fast she had answered. She tentatively turned to Loki to see his reaction, and was surprised to see one corner of his mouth curled up.

Okay. Two could play at this game. 

“Why?” Sofia asked, attempting to pantomime confidence. “Did you expect me not to remember working next to Earth’s previous biggest threat?”

Loki looked up, dangerously smiling.

“Is that what everyone on Midgard perceives me as? Earth’s previous biggest threat?”

“Why do you ask?” Sofia breathed. The two rounded a corner, and Sofia, continuing the self-surprise, whirled around to face Loki. Loki stopped walking. He looked down at her, amused. “Is there something else we should...classify you as?”

It might have been an act at first, but now, Sofia didn’t know where this confidence was coming from, and she couldn’t even define what she was doing and why she was doing it. But she liked it. She liked not being so flustered around Loki, and she liked being able to keep up with him. Loki, who looked entertained, seemed to like it too. Or at least...not mind it. 

“Let me think,” Loki smugly placed a finger on his chin, pretending to think. “Maybe...strongest being on Midgard right now?”

Sofia let out a snort. “No way.”

They continued walking, Sofia glancing at him. He kept that smug, all-telling look plastered on his face.

“Strongest being on Earth right now would definitely be Bruce. Or maybe even...Thor.”

Sofia bit her lip, anticipating his reaction. She was doing exactly what Loki had been doing at dinner. She was antagonizing him. 

She definitely would not have been acting this way if not for the wine. He was a God and even she knew not to cross him. But right now...she wasn’t too concerned. 

Loki winced ever so slightly at the mention of Bruce, but did not mention it. 

“Thor’s power is unique, even of Asgard.” Loki said matter-of-factly. “He is stronger than all Midgardians, yes, but he is mostly powered through Mjölnir. Without the hammer, our strengths are similar.”

“Really?” Sofia responded pompously. Something about Loki’s arrogance made her want to challenge him. Also, the wine. “It hasn’t seemed like that in the past.”

“Again, it is Mjölnir that makes Thor,” Loki responded curtly. But Sofia wasn’t thrown off, which was unexpected. She was quiet for a moment as they walked, until she finally spoke up.

“You know, I bet I could...do well, against you.”

Loki raised his eyebrows in response. 

“Do well against me,” he repeated slowly. “Do elaborate.”

Sofia didn’t know what had made her say that. She had felt how strong Loki was during training, and he was a literal God who could hold his own against Steve, a fucking super soldier. Plus, Loki had defeated her before. There was obviously no way she could physically defeat Loki. 

But she liked challenging him, and yes, maybe she liked when Loki had a grip on her waist that one time. She was drunk; she wasn’t thinking. Just...probing. Seeing how he would react.

Her choice of words clearly indicated that.

Sofia shrugged. 

“I bet I could catch you off guard, if we ever fought one on one. Take some blows. Maybe even pin you down.”

Sofia obviously would not be able to even get close to physically overpowering Loki. And he must’ve known that. But he didn’t say so.

Instead, he just let out a dark chuckle. But he still didn’t say anything as the two approached the Triskelion. Once they entered the lobby, Thor, who was standing by the entrance, gestured to Loki to come towards him, and Sofia, disappointed in her efforts and sobering up very quickly, went to make her way towards the elevators. Her smarminess was gone. Was she too much? Did she annoy him? She didn’t think Loki was capable of any emotion other than arrogance, anger, and sullenness, but did she make him uncomfortable? Confused?

But right before they turned, Loki grabbed her wrist. She stumbled towards him, but thankfully caught herself before falling into him. 

Loki, still holding her wrist, leaned in so he was inches away from her ear, his breath hot on her neck. He waited a moment, his grip tight on her wrist, before lowly growling, “Prove it.”

He didn’t even look at her as he sauntered away, leaving Sofia momentarily frozen. Shaken but satisfied, she went upstairs, took a long shower, and went to sleep, relishing in their conversation.

She woke up the next morning with a bad hangover headache, but was thankfully able to focus on her work that day. That was until she was called to an observational training at the end of the day. She had been so busy all day, combing through reports and files that she hadn’t even thought about Loki, their previous conversation, or that he would be at training. That was until she saw him in the ring, his back turned, warming up with Steve.

Sofia grimaced, recalling their conversation from the previous night. She was definitely drunk and definitely would not have egged him on like that if she was sober. She cringed upon remembering the way she had challenged him. But she also felt a strange warm feeling when recollecting how Loki had responded to her provocations, in a way that could be described as light and even...flirty?

Okay, no. Loki was not flirting with her. And she was definitely not flirting with him. Or…

Sofia squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop this mental back and forth. Instead, she opened her eyes and focused on everyone else in the room.

Bruce was also there, lifting weights with Natasha while Clint stretched. Thor was absent, and so was Tony. Sofia frowned. She didn’t like the idea of Loki completely unaccompanied, and was still distressed over not seeing Tony again.

“Sofia, you’re here,” Fury said roughly as he spotted her. “Thank you. We might need your assistance, so be ready.”

Assistance? Sofia didn’t even have a chance to acknowledge what that meant before Fury walked away. She tried not to dwell on it and instead got her new tablet out and began to take notes.

Once Fury cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention, he gestured to Loki while Steve stepped out of the ring. 

“I have been told to show you my abilities regarding strength,” Loki said dryly. “As I said before, my strength is substantially superior to that of humans, even to the average Asgardian. However,” he said sharply, “there are some species that can...work at my level.”

Loki glared at Bruce out of the corner of his eye. Bruce couldn’t hide his smirk.

They then broke off into groups to work against Loki, test his strength, and attempt to avoid it. Loki was able to overpower all of them, though he definitely struggled a bit with Steve. He pointedly did not work against Bruce 

“Sofia,” Fury said, making Sofia jump. She had been focused on taking notes, and, well, looking at Loki. She turned to look at him.

“It’s your turn.”

Sofia’s eyes widened. Now her proposition from the previous night was really coming to bite her in the ass. She didn’t mean what she said about being able to overcome Loki, she obviously couldn’t. She had said that just to probe him and cause some fun conflict. Also, she was drunk. Also, she didn’t think she would actually have to go up against him again. Now she was just embarrassed.

Sofia ducked her head as she reluctantly stepped into the ring, avoiding eye contact with Loki. Once she was forced to look at him, however, she saw that goddamn smug look on his face. He had clearly remembered the previous night as well, and his final comment.

Sofia tried not to think about it. It didn’t matter. She could say she was drunk. She also tried to avoid his gaze, and avoid the fact that he was getting closer and closer to her. 

Fury’s call brought Sofia out of her thoughts, and was only just able to brace Loki going for her waist.

That further caught her off guard. He hadn’t done that to anyone else he went up against, as he usually went for the chest. But instead of pushing her down, he pulled her close to him, his hands tight around her waist.

She gasped, their chests against each other, the closest they’ve ever been. But that position only lasted for a moment, until Loki flipped her around, held her shoulders, and fell backwards onto the ground.

She was lying on him, her back against his front, struggling against his grip. Fuck, she knew she wouldn’t beat him but she wanted to do what Loki suggested and at least try to prove it. But she physically couldn’t. 

Loki then flipped both of them over while moving her at the same time, until she was on the ground with him on top. His knee pinned her legs to the ground while his left hand wrapped around her wrists. She was squirming, trying to get out of his iron grip, but couldn’t. 

She wasn’t even focused on his face or anything like she had been before. She was just stuck, knowing she looked weak, trying to change her position and show up to him.

But that was until he looked up at her, a devilish smirk on his face. Her breath hitched, and before she could do anything, his right hand snaked up to her neck.

Sofia’s eyes went wide, and Loki’s smirk grew, a dangerous look in his eyes. His hand wrapped around her neck, but he didn’t squeeze. She could breathe, even with his firm grip. Why…

He bent his head into the gap between her neck and collarbone, and in a whisper, breathed, “I win.”

And then, in an instant, he got up, brushed himself off, and walked out of the ring over to Fury.

Sofia was still lying there, panting hard. 

She was in a daze after that, barely remembering acknowledging Fury or anyone else goodbye as she made her way back up to her room. She pointedly didn’t look at Loki.

Sofia flopped into bed, exhausted, telling herself that she would dive deeper into her thoughts later. She’d assess her range of feelings tomorrow, and maybe even talk to him.

But one thing was for certain. 

Sofia couldn’t even try to keep Loki out of her dreams that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR SO LONG :( but i’ve changed the plot a bit and am so excited so i decided that updates will be every other sunday, starting next sunday. ALSO next chapter is gonna have a surprise but not in the way you’re thinking so keep an eye out :) please leave a comment or kudos if u liked it! enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO i'm so excited for this lol. also watch out for a new chapter of wherever we may roam coming soon!


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